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THE 


Centennial  Celebration 


Evacuation  of  Detroit  by  the  British. 


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July  ii,  1796— July  h,  1896. 


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Report  of  the  Proceedings,  with  the  Addresses  of  Col. 
H.  M.  DuFFiELD,  Senator  J.  C  Burrows,  and 

PRESIDtNT    J  AS.    B.    ANGELL. 


DETROIT. 

Printed  for  the  Committee. 
1896 


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(r-67  Congress  Wist. 


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INTRODUCTORY  NOTE. 

When  the  War  of  Indapeudence  began  in  the  east  its 
effects  were  almost  immediately  felt  in  Detroit,  and  early 
in  1775  the  English  made  this  post  the  chief  military  depot 
in  the  west,  and  the  fitthig:  out  place  for  the  forays  to  be 
made  upon  the  settlements  in  Kentucky,  Virginia  and 
Pennsylvania.  The  evident  intent  was  to  keep  the  colon- 
ists in  the  west  so  busy  defending  their  homes  that  they 
would  be  unable  to  help  their  brethren  in  the  east. 

With  this  object  in  view  millions  of  dollars  worth  of 
goods  were  shipped  to  Detroit  and  distributed  to  the 
Indians  who  were  invited  here  and  came  by  thousands 
from  the  west  and  south.  On  their  arrival  they  were 
feasted  and  flattered  without  stint ;  clothing,  trinkets,  fire 
arms,  and  "  red-handled  scalping  knives  "  were  supplied  to 
them  in  enormous  quantities,  and  on  returning  from  their 
forays  they  often  brought  hundreds  of  scalps  and  prisoners. 

The  defeat  of  the  English  in  the  west  was  largely 
decided  by  the  capture  of  Gov.  Henry  Hamilton  of  Detroit, 
at  Vincennes,  by  Col.  George  Rogers  Clark,  on  March  sth, 
1779.  That  victory  and  American  successes  in  the  east, 
brought  about  the  treaties  of  178a  and  1783,  which  provided 
for  the  surrender  of  the  western  territory  by  the  English. 
The  pretext  of  unsettled  claims,  and  the  protests  of 
Montreal  fur  traders,  who  derived  immense  revenues  from 
this  region,  delayed  the  surrender. 


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Meanwhile  the  Indians  continued  their  depredations, 
but  finally,  on  August  30th,  1794,  they  and  their  British 
allies  were  effectually  defeated  by  Major  General  Anthony 
Wayne,  at  Fort  Miami,  and  a  way  was  opened  for  the 
conclusion  of  the  war. 

The  final  treaty  of  peace,  known  as  Jay's  treaty,  was 
made  November  19th,  1794  ;  it  provided  for  the  evacuation 
of  Detroit  and  other  western  posts  on  or  before  June  ist, 
1796.  Owing,  however,  to  various  obstacles  the  surrender 
did  not  take  place  until  July  nth,  1796.  On  that  day  at 
12  o'clock  noon,  the  English  flag  was  hauled  down  from 
the  flag  staff  of  Fort  Lernoult  at  Detroit,  and  the  same 
day  the  fort  was  taken  possession  of  by  Captain  Moses 
Porter,  with  a  detachment  of  sixty-five  men  from  General 
Wayne's  army,  Colonel  John  F.  Hanitramck  arriving  two 
days  later. 

The  surrender  of  Detroit  on  July  nth,  1796,  clearly 
marks  the  date  of  the  actual  ownership  by  the  United 
States  of  a  tv/ritory  larger  than  the  original  thirteeen 
states,  and  the  final  results  of  such  ownership  gave  us  not 
only  the  control  of  the  Great  Lakes,  but  the  Mississippi  as 
well,  and,  indeed,  of  all  the  territory  clear  to  the  Pacif.c 
coast. 


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KhV.   RUFUS  CLARK,  U.  D., 
Hot-tor  of  St.  PauPs  Church.  Detroit. 


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EVENTS  WHICH  LED  UP  TO  THE  CELEBRATION  OF  THE 
CENTENNIAL  OF  EVACUATION  DAY. 

At  the  banquet  of  the  Michigan  Society  of  the  Sons  of 
the  American   Revohition,  on   February  a2d,  1896,  Rev 
Rufus  W.  Clark  offered  the  following  resolutions  : 

''Whereas,  the  eleventh  day  of  July  will  mark  the 

SfnSrf ''•''\  ""."•^^'•"''^'•y  of  the  ivacuSn  by  the 
wntish  of  our  territory  and  the  raising  of  the  Stars  and 
Mnpes  over  the  City  of  Detroit,  this  Ly  is  deserving  of 
more  than  passing  mention,  none  being  more  important 
Th."/',c^'  Americans  and  as  citizens  of  this  munidpality. 
1  his  IS  a  day  upon  which  we  may  well  commemorate  tlie 
achievements  of  our  fathers,  the  founders  of  this  republ  c! 
connfrv°"T?^^  Sentiments  of  love  and  devotion  to  ou; 
country  It  is  a  day  that  should  be  seized  upon  especially 
by  members  of  this  society,  to  remind  a  risiSg  geneS 

by  i'fTrei^Tpowen""^^"  '"  '  ^^"'  "°  ^°°^^^  '^^'^^^^ 

"  I.    Resolved,  That  the  day  shall  be  observed  by  the 

Michigan  Society  of  the  Sons  of'the  American  Revolution 

SembeS%"'thr?ode;r"'"'^  "'  '"  '°"''"°^  ''^ 

"2.     Resolved,  As  the  day  belongt  not  only  to  us  but 

to  all  patriotic  citizens,  that  a   comn.ttee    of    five    be 

S' the'^  d7v  '  ffl  • 'i"*'"r"  ""l'^'^  "'^^t'"?  to  consul? 
with  the  city  officials,  the  military  authorities  at  Fort 

Wayne  and  patriotic  societies  of  Detroit  and  arrange   i 

h?  hIS  "P°.?  *.  ^'^^"  ^Z'  *^^  ""'^•'^^'«  Public  celebration  of 
,w  f^\*"^  ^^'^  ^^^^  meetings  as  befi',  so  rare  and 
important  an  occasion," 


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The  resolutions  being  adopted,  Rev.  Mr.  Clark  moved 
that  Mr.  Fred.  T.  Sibley  be  made  chairman  of  the  commit- 
tee on  celebration.  He  thought  no  one  more  suitable 
than  a  son  of  Solomon  Sibley,  t^e  first  mayor  of  Detroit, 
and  a  man  stalwart  in  all  that  made  for  the  good  of 
Detroit,  also  a  chief  justice  of  the  supreme  bench,  could 
be  found  to  head  the  committee.  Mr.  Thomas  Jeiome 
seconded  the  nomination  in  a  patriotic  speech,  and 
ex-Senator    Palmer    supported    the    nomination. 

The  chairman,  Col.  Henry  M.  Duffield,  named  the 
celebration  committee,  as  follows :  Frederick  T.  Sibley, 
Rev.  Rufus  W.  Clark,  Thomas  Jerome,  J.  C.  Smith,  Jr., 
and  Oliver  H.  Phelps, 

A  conference  of  the  various  patriotic  societies,  pro- 
posed by  the  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revo- 
lution, February  22d,  1896,  was  held  at  the  parlors  of  the 
Russell  House,  in  Detroit,  on  May  2 2d. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  General  Committee  was  held 
at  the  Loyal  Legion  rooms  May  25th,  at  which  Gen.  R.  A. 
Alger  presided.  There  weve  present :  Capt.  Cornelius 
Gardener,  U,  S.  A.,  Don  M.  Dickinson,  E.  B.  Welton,  James 
Vernor,  Rev.  Rufus  W.  Clark,  Silas  Farmer,  Frank  J. 
Hecker,  and  Thomas  S.  Jerome.  Mr.  Jerome  was  elected 
secretary.    Rev.  R.  W.  Clark  stated  the  objects  of  the 

meeting. 

It  was  moved  and  carried  that  a  celebration  be  held 

on  July  I  ith. 

At  a  subsequent  meeting  the  committee  appointed  by 
the  chair  to  name  the  various  committees,  reported  as 
follows: 


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A  GROUP  OF  COMMITTEEMEN. 


1.  JAMES  T.  STERLING. 

2.  FRANK   I.  DECKER. 
i.  JOHN  N.  BAGLEY. 

4.  CHARLES  B.  HULL. 

5.  HARRY  F.  CHIPMAN. 

0.  REV.  RUFUS  W.  CLARK. 


7.  ELLIOTT  T.  SLOCUM. 

8.  GEN.  A.  L.  BRESLER. 
').  SILAS  FARMER. 

10.  THOS.  S.  JEROME. 

11.  DON  M.  DICKINSON. 


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R.  A.  Alger,  General  Cbairman. 

ExFxuTivE  Committer. 
Henry  M.  Dufiield,  Chairman.        Thomas  vS.  Jerome,  Scc'y-    ^~ 
E.  T  Slocum.  Frank  J.  Hecker. 

Together  with  the  Chairmen  of  the  various  Sub-Committees. 


W.  H.  ' 
Harv  ^^arke. 

M.  S.  omith. 
W.  C.  Maybury. 
T.  D  Buh!. 
D.  J.  Ca.npau. 
W.  J   Chittenden. 


Entertainment  Committee. 
,  Chairman.  A.  L.  Stephens. 


R.  Phelps. 
R.  H.  Fyfe. 
J.  B.  Moore. 
W.  A.  Butler,  Jr. 
W.  V.  Moore. 
M.  W.  O'Brien. 
Collins  B.  Hubbard. 


Programme  Committee. 
Rufus  W.  Clark,  Cbairman.  John  N.  Bagley. 


James  Vemor. 
Henry  S.  Sibley. 


Charles  Flowers. 
E.  T.  Slocum. 


Tablet  Committee. 
Silas  Farmer,  Chairman.  Louis  A.  Arthur. 

A.  H.  Griffith. 

Parade  Committee. 
James  T.  Sterling,  Chairman.        August  Goebel. 
Cornelius  Gardener,  U.  S.  A.  Charles  Dupont. 

H.  B.  Lothrop.  Charles  Reid. 

John  Atkinson.  Gilbert  Wilkes. 

A.  L.  Bresler. 

Press  Committee. 
James  E.  Scripps,  Chairman.         W.  Livingstone.  Jr. 
A.  G.  Boynton.  P.  C.  Baker. 

J.  J.  Emery. 


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Music  Committbk. 
John  N.  Bagley,  Chairman.  F.  W.  Eddy. 


S.  T.  Douglas. 


Ford  D.  C.  Hinchman. 


Finance  Coumittek. 
George  H.  Russel,  Chairman.         Marvin  Preston. 


George  N.  Brady. 
A.  E.  F.  White. 
James  E.  Davis. 
George  H.  Hopkins. 
Charles  Dean. 


Charles  Wright. 
Charles  Stinchfield. 
John  T.  Shaw. 
E.  B.  Wclton. 
R.  W.  Jackiiu. 


Hamilton  Dey. 


Invitation  Committee. 
Don  M.  Dickinson,  Chairman.        Simon  Snyder,  U.  S.  A. 
Thomas  W.  Palmer.  Allan  Sheldon. 

William  C.  McMillan. 


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Carriage  CoMMirrEE. 

Charles  B.  Hull.  Chairman.  S.  S.  Babcock. 

George  H.  Barbour.  F.  T.  Moran, 

Stratheam  Hendrie. 

Badge  Committee. 

Frank  H.  Walker,  Chairman.  H.  M.  Campbell. 

W.  G.  Thompson.  Clarence  Cnrpenter. 

Harry  B.  Joy. 

Committee  in  Charge  of  Building. 
Harry  F.  Chipman,  Chairman.        R.  G.  BuUer. 
E  W.  Cottrell.  Peter  Diederich. 

F.  E.  Farnsworth.  Edwin  Henderson. 

Arthur  L.  Holmes. 


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HON.  JOHN  T.  RICH, 
Governor  of  .MichiK^in. 


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THE  GOVERNOR'S  PROCLAMATION. 

Ta  the  People  of  the  State  of  Michigan: 

For  many  years  after  the  cessation  of  active  hostil- 
ities between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  in 
the  Revolutionary  War,  the  British  refused  to  carry  out 
the  terms  of  the  peace  and  surrender  to  the  Americans 
the  territory  they  had  won,  and  it  was  not  until  the 
nth  of  July,  1796,  at  Detroit,  that  the  British  flag  finally 
ceased  to  float  over  any  part  of  the  country  whose  inde- 
pendence had  besn  acknowledged  thirteen  years  before. 

It  is  proposed  to  recognize  the  centennial  of  the 
evacuation  of  Detroit  by  the  British,  by  a  celebration 
at  Detroit  on  the  nth  day  of  next  July,  The  importance 
of  this  event  to  the  nation,  and  especially  to  the  great 
middle  and  western  states,  demands  fitting  recognition 
from  the  executive  of  the  state,  and  every  citizen  who  can 
do  so  is  earnestly  urged  to  attend  the  celebration  of  the 
anniversary  of  this  memorable  event. 

The  definite  and  final  yielding  up  of  this  western 
region  gave  the  Federal  government  the  control  not  only 
of  the  great  lakes,  but  eventually  of  the  Mississippi  as 
well,  and  indeed,  in  its  finality,  of  all  our  western  territory 
clear  to  the  Pacific  coast. 

On  that  date  the  American  flag  with  its  fifteen  stars 
was  first  raised  over  our  soil,  and  its  raisjing  meant  the 
speedy  founding  of  the  states  of  Michigan,  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Illinois,  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota. 


I 


ri 

i 


^ 


''i-w*'!'^-'.!  ^'''^'^y-**-^ 


,\ 


p\ 


With  the  raising  of  the  flag  on  July  ii,  1796,  British 
domination  over  any  part  of  our  country  ceased,  the 
"rebels"  then  living  here  breathed  freely,  and  the  way 
was  opened  for  all  the  blessings  wc  now  enjoy  as  a  part  of 
the  United  States  of  America. 

In  historic  interest  and  importance  no  other  date 
in  connection  with  the  west  is  of  equal  value,  for  the 
surrender  of  Detroit  marked  the  close  of  the  War  of 
the  Revolution  and  the  final  accomplishment  of  the 
results  fought  for  by  our  fathers  during  so  many  years, 
and  the  date  of  that  event  should  excite  patriotic  loyalty 
in  the  breast  of  every  member  of  the  commonwealth  and 
be  treasured  in  the  memory  of  every  citizen. 

Given  und^r  my  hand  and  the  great  seal  of  the  state, 
at  the  capitol,  in  Lansing,  this  34th  day  of  June,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  ninety- 
six,  and  of  the  independence  of  the  United  States  the  one 
hundred  and  twentieth. 

JOHN  T.  RICH. 

By  the  Governor, 

WASHINGTON  GARDNER, 

Secretary  of  State. 


8 


la.iyriHiinlWiil 


■-■  ■■<^""mi;f.m^,ir':Mm—~~-*^ 


THE  CELEBRATION. 

Saturday,  the  nth  of  July,  1896,  was  a  bright,  clear 
and  beautiful  day,  rather  warm,  but  not  excessively  so. 
The  patriotism  of  Detroit  was  fully  aroused,  and  the  city 
was  gay  with  flags  and  strr  .Tiers  of  the  national  colors. 
The  City  Hall  had  been  decorated  at  a  cost  of  over  $500 
alone.  A  great  many  people  had  come  into  the  city  from 
the  interior  of  the  State,  and  the  streets  were  thronged 
throughout  the  day. 

Appropriately,  the  public  exercises  were  held  in  the 
unfinished  Federal  Building,  which  occupies  the  exact  site 
of  Fort  Lemoult,  surrendered  to  the  United  States  on 
July  nth,  1796.    The  interior  had  been  fitted  up  for  the 
occasion,  under  the  superintendence  of  Harry  F.  Chipman, 
chairman  of  the  committeee  on  building.    On  the  north 
side  a  spacious  platform  had  been  erected,  capable  of 
accommodating  some  700  persons.    In  front  of  the  plat- 
form, the  unfinished  brick  floor,  covered  with  sawdust,  was 
seated  with  about  3,000  chairs.    A  railed-in  passage  way 
extended   from  the  platform  steps   to   the  Fort   street 
entrance.     To  the  west  of  this,  admission  was  had  by 
tickets  distributed  by  the  members  of  the  various  com- 
mittees ;  to  the  east,  entrance  from  Shelby  street,  tickets 
were  not  required.    It  was  estimated  that  3,500  persons 
were  present  during  the  exercises. 

The  decorations  of  the  building  were  very  effective. 
From  the  open  girders  overhead  depended  festoons  of  red, 


il 


f 


'i 


' 


M 


I  J. 


white  and  blue  bunting,  through  which  the  sun'8  rays  pro- 
duced a  most  beautiful  effect.  Over  the  speakers'  stand 
hung  the  American  flag  and  a  large  portrait  of  George 
Washington.  The  rough  brick  walls  were  decorated  with 
the  flags  and  a:-ms  of  the  several  states  comprised  in 
the  old  northw'isteru  territory,  possession  of  which  was 
secured  by  the  United  States  by  the  evacuation  of  Detroit, 
the  event  celebrated.  The  iron  columns  were  covered 
with  colored  cloth  and  gaily  decorated.  At  the  left  of  the 
speakers'  stand  stood  a  section  of  the  flag  staff  of  the  old 
fort,  recovered  some  years  ago  in  making  an  excavation 
on  the  site,  and  now  in  possession  of  the  Detroit  Museum 
of  Art. 

On  the  platform  were  seated  the  following  organiza- 
tions : 

The  Officers  of  the  City  Government. 

The  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution. 

The  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution. 

The  Daughters  of  the  War  of  1813. 

The  Michigan  Society  of  Colonial  Dames  of  America. 

The  Loyal  Legion. 

Fairbanks  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

Detroit  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

John  Brown  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

Girls'  Auxiliary  of  Farquhar  Post  No.  i6a. 

Women's  Relief  Corps. 

U.  S.  Grant  Command,  Union  Veterans'  Union. 

Mexican  Veterans,  including  Col.  H.  S.  Dean,  Geo.  W. 
Walters,  S.  W.  Perry  and  Oliver  Geary. 

Among  other  occupants  of  the  ptatform  were:  His 
Excellency  Gov.  John  T.  Rich,  acconipanied  by  his  staff — 
Gen.  W.  S.  Green,  Gen.  J.  H.  Kidd,  Gen.  Joseph  Walsh, 
Col.  W.  A.  Gavett,  Col.  Lou  Burt,  Lieut.-Col.  W.  W.  Cook 


10 


-ir-^;^ 


"Z£S". 


'•^•«»«i».K«; 


and  Lieut-Col.  S.  H.  Avery,  all  in  full  uniform;  Oen.  R. 
A.  Alger,  Col.  Henry  M.  Duffield,  Hon.  J.  C.  Burrows, 
President  James  B.  Angell  of  the  University  of  Michigan; 
Rt.  Rev.  0.  Molt  Williams,  D.  D.,  Bishop  of  Marquette; 
Charles  Flowers,  City  Counsellor;  Rt.  Rev.  John  S.  Foley, 
D.  D.,  Roman  Catholic  Bishop  of  Detroit;  Hon.  Henry  M. 
Swan,  U.  S.  District  Judge;  Hon.  Claudius  B.  Grant.  Hon. 
J.  B.  Moore  and  Hon.  Frank  A.  Hooker,  Justices  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Michigan;  Judge  Wm.  L.  Carpenter 
and  Judge  George  S.  Hosmer  of  the  Wayne  Circuit  Court; 
State  Treasurer  J.  M.  Wilkinson;  Prof.  A.  C.  McLaughlin 
of  the  State  University;  ex-Congressman  Wm.  C.  Maybury; 
Joseph  T.  Jacobs,  of  Ann  Arbor,  member  of  the  U.  S. 
Indian  Commission;  Capt.  Hinds,  of  Stanton;  J.  Q.  A. 
Sessions,  of  Ann  Arbor;  Col.  J.  S.  Farrar,  of  Mt.  Clemens; 
George  Newell,  of  Flint;  Robert  Campbell,  of  Ann  Arbor; 
Gen.  Luther  S.  Trowbridge,  Maj.  James  Vincent,  Dextet 
M.  Ferry,  Col.  Frank  J.  Hecker,  the  members  of  the 
executive  committee,  and  W.  R.  Shelby,  of  Grand  Rapids, 
a  great-grandson  of  Gov.  Shelby  of  Kentucky  after  whom 
Fort  Shelby  was  named.  Mr.  Shjlby  had  with  him  a  spy- 
glass captured  from  one  of  the  British  ships  at  the  battle 
of  Lake  Erie  by  Commodore  Perry. 

While  waiting  for  the  audience  to  arrive  and  become 
seated,  the  Metropolitan  Band  played  a  number  of 
patriotic    airs. 


It 


1. 


THE  PUBUC  EXERCISES. 


( 


At  10:30  o'clock  the  chairman  of  the  day,  Gen.  R.  A. 
Alger,  called  the  great  assemblage  to  order  and  read  the 
following  opening  address: 

Fellow  Cititens — We  gather  upon  this  historic  spot  to-day 
to  commemorate  the  last  act  of  our  heroic  forefathers  in 
the  War  of  the  Revolution. 

It  was  upon  these  grounds,  occupied  by  this  stately 
building,  that  old  Fort  Lernoult  was  gituated ;  a  fort 
erected  by  the  British  army  to  resist  the  assaults  of  those 
patriots  who  were  battling  for  the  liberty  they  won— the 
liberty  we  enjoy  to-day. 

It  was  here,  one  hundred  years  ago  to-day,  that  the 
flag  of  the  enemy  was  hauled  down,  and  our  own  stars  and 
stripes  run  to  the  mast  head,  then  with  but  fifteen  stars  in 
its  azure  field— to-day,  forty-five ;  the  flag  that  was  never 
lowered  to  any  foe,  and  floats  over  the  richest  and  best 
nation  in  the  world. 

In  no  boastful  spirit  do  we  come,  nor  in  vain-glorious 
triumph  at  our  victory,  but  with  a  just  pride  in  the  valor 
of  our  ancestors,  and  thankfulness  to  Almighty  Providence 
that  the  ground  broken  by  the  sword  of  war  has  borne  to 
us  the  blessed  fruits  of  peace. 

The  history  of  the  world  is  marked  by  epochs  of  war, 
and  the  chief  glory  of  every  nation  is  the  valor  of  its 
defenders.  It  is  well  that  this  is  so,  for  in  our  peaceful 
pursuits,  we  are  too  apt  to  forget  the  cost  of  the  blessings 
we  enjoy,  and  not  until  the  drum  sounds  the  signal  to  arms, 
is  it  that  we  stop  to  consider  what  it  costs  to  build  or 
save  a  nation. 


13 


"-«»- 


.j'-^i  »««*.»*■"■«***■■■»**■*" 


;;."fiSSBaJ 


f 


i.ij.i.jniaavitn'iitiuti  i  i- 'i* ■'"  '"^'^ 


ii^~ 


As  in  the  frequent  experience  of  individuals,  the  bit- 
terest enemies,  reconciled,  form  the  strongest  ties  of  friend- 
ship, so  with  nations — those  which  do  battle  with  each 
other,  when  peace  is  declared,  often  make  the  strongest 
allies. 

As  we  are  at  peace  with  the  mother  country  to-day 
and  look  upon  its  people  with  no  envy  as  they  live  under 
the  benign  rule  of  their  mother  queen,  so  may  we  hope 
that  war  shall  never  again  come  between  us.  We  are  too 
great  to  boast,  too  strong  to  fear  invasion.  We  covet  the 
possessions  of  no  other  nation,  nor  do  we  fear  for  the 
safety  of  our  own.  To  us  all  to-day  war  is  but  an  echo- 
ing memory,  and  not  an  expectation. 

Among  us  here  to-day  are  veterans  of  the  Mexican  War, 
and  many  of  that  grand  host  whose  courage  crushed  the 
standards  of  secession  and  wove  the  web  of  our  destiny 
into  eternal  unity. 

To  them  and  those  of  their  comrades  who  returned  not 
with  them,  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  their  sacrifice,  I  know  a 
grateful  people  will  ever  rise  up  to  give  the  meed  of  praise 
they  so  fairly  won. 

Detroit  welcomes  here  to-day,  many  distinguished 
guests.  It  presents  no  battlements  or  ramparts  to  the 
view,  as  it  needs  none  for  its  protection,  but  in  their  stead 
shows  you  busy  factories,  whose  belching  mouths,  night 
and  day,  blacken  the  sky  with  the  smoke  of  industry. 
These  are  the  truest  monuments  to  the  peace  whose  noble 
path  was  cut  by  war. 

Rt  Rev.  G.  Mott  Williams,  D.  D.,  then  offered  prayer, 
as  follows : 


4»- 


I      ill 


1     ( 

'I 

hi 


! 


i 


I 


I-  TO;- 


fit 


fi 


THE  PRAYER. 

O  God  of  our  fathers,  our  hope  and  strength,  we  bless 
thy  Holy  Name  for  the  faith  of  those  great  men  who  won 
our  independence  r\nd  framed  the  constitutional  govern- 
ment of  these  United  States.  We  bless  thee  for  the  inher- 
itance of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  and  for  the  many 
shining  examples  of  patriotism  given  us  by  citizens  of  this 
land  in  peace  and  war. 

We  thank  thee  that  so  many  of  those  who  have  been 
welcomed  to  our  shores,  while  needing  an  asylum,  have 
rendered  the  State  so  good  an  account  for  her  charity,  and 
we  pray  thee  that  the  first  acquisition  of  those  who  come 
to  us  may  be  a  love  of  their  fostering  mother. 

We  thank  thee  for  boundaries  so  vast,  so  inclusive,  so 
rich  and  so  commanding,  for  the  great  gift  of  national  inde- 
pendence, and  because  thy  wise  providence  in  severing 
the  ties  which  bound  us  to  the  motherland,  left  us  still  in 
laws,  character  and  customs  the  best  part  of  the  inherit* 
ance  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race. 

We  bless  thee  that  the  transfer  of  government  which 
we  celebrate  to-day  was  made  in  peace  and  not  in  war,  a 
result  of  treaties,  not  of  blows,  of  reason,  not  of  force,  and 
we  especially  thank  thee  that  this  peaceful  transfer  of 
government  between  kindred  peoples  has  been  followed 
by  so  many  years  of  honorable  peace,  but  once  broken, 
and  now  for  four-score  years  unmarred. 

And  we  beseech  thee  that  the  present  peace  of  this 
frontier  may  continue  by  thy  favor,  and  by  the  virtue,  the 
self-control,  the  wisdom  and  brotherliness  of  these  peoples, 
and  that  we  especially  may  walk  worthy  of  high  calling 
among  the  nations. 

14 


1 


^*^l 


wmatmet 


lira -iiimi  Mill  11  iiMii^aiMIM 


1 


:#? 


^ 


1^ 


■f 


It' 


THE  TABLET. 


«!■ 


M'A^.s^  i'JsitMiSasaBBisSi*';: 


T=>,, 


We  confess,  O  God,  our  manifold  shortcomings  as  men, 
as  citizens  and  as  a  nation  ;  forgive  us,  but  forsake  us  not. 

Let  there  be  peace  and  truth  in  our  days,  pure  religion 
and  domestic  happiness.  Bless  the  President  and  every 
arm  of  government ;  sanctify  our  lives,  our  families,  our 
homes  and  our  schools ;  make  us  love  our  country  truly 
and  honestly;  and  grant  the  course  c'  the  whole  world 
may  be  so  peacefully  ordered  by  thy  govtrnment  that  thy 
church  may  joyfully  serve  thee  in  all  godly  quietness, 
through  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord,  according  to  whose  teach- 
ing we  are  bold  to  say  : 

Our  Father,  who  art  in  Heaven,  hallowed  be  thy 
name,  etc.    Amen ! 

The  Boylston  Club  then  led  in  the  singing  of  the 
hymn,  "My  Country,  'tis  of  Thee,"  in  which  the  entire 
audience  heartily  joined. 

UNVEILING  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  TABLET. 

While  the  band  played  the  "  Star  Spangled  Banner," 
the  chairman,  together  with  Mr.  Shelby,  representing  the 
Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  and  Mr.  Silas  Farmer, 
representing  the  committee,  proceeded  to  the  Fort  street 
entrance,  where  the  tablet  has  been  placed  by  a  special 
Act  of  Congress.  The  invited  guests,  and  the  presidents 
and  commanders  of  the  patriotic  societies  were  also  there 
assembled. 

In  their  presence  and  before  the  throng  outside  of  the 
building.  Gen.  Alger  withdrew  the  veiling  and  said  :  "  In 
behalf  of  the  heroes  who  gave  us  this  land  of  liberty,  and 
in  remembrance  of  them,  I  humbly  unveil  this  tablet." 

The  flag  was  then  raised  upon  the  Federal  Building 
and  a  salute  of  twenty-one  guns  was  then  fired  by  the 
United  States  Revenue  Cutter  "  Fessenden,"  at  anchor  in 
the  Detroit  River. 

15 


if    '. 


i : 


When  all  had  returned  to  the  platform  the  chairman 
said  that  it  had  been  expected  that  Mayor  Hazen  S.  Pingree 
would  be  present  to  welcome  the  distinguished  guests,  but 
in  liis  absence,  Hon.  Charles  Flowers,  City  Counselor,  would 
perform  that  duty. 


lii  ■ 


THE  ADDRESS  OF  WELCOME 

BY  HON.  CHARLES  FLOVESS. 

The  City  of  Detroit,  upon  this  centennial  day,  gives 
greeting  and  welcome  to  the  men  and  women  whose  fore- 
fathers, by  reason  of  their  sublime  courage,  and  their 
fidelity  to  a  living  and  glowing  principle,  made  it  neces- 
sary for  their  foes  to  strike  their  flag,  and  bid  farewell  to 
so  fair  and  so  vast  an  empire. 

To  the  descendants  of  the  brave  men  who  lingered 
upon  the  shores  of  this  majestic  river,  the  City  of  Detroit 
also  gives  greeting  and  welcome.  With  them  we  have  no 
quarrel.  The  hour  struck  in  the  fateful  history  of  the 
world  for  those  of  one  language,  one  religion  and  one 
blood,  to  stand  upon  the  broad  road  of  national  life,  where 
the  ways  parted.    The  day  of  separation  had  come. 

It  is  well  for  us  to  remember  those  days.  The  patriotic 
heart  has  not  grown  cold.  The  genius  of  greed  has  not 
wholly  possessed  the  land.  Amid  the  sound  and  fury  and 
madness  of  partisan  strife,  amid  the  insane  thirst  and 
hunger  for  power  and  advantage,  the  attentive  ear  can 
still  catch,  as  coming  from  a  million  breasts,  the  breathings 
of  a  spirit,  responsive  to  the  agonv  of  those  who  suffered 
with  Washington  at  Valley  Forge,  responsive  to  the  ecstasy 
of  those  who  rejoiced  with  him  at  Yorktown. 

The  City  of  Detroit  gives  greeting  and  welcome  to 
you  all.    It  does  not  ask  your  nationality  or  your  faith.    It 

i6 


■...Jlt^r  'f^f.-t^^-Mii-:  U.ui?«^.^^Pit'lmlviab«* 


'-*^''iiii:i«miiiiiiiiiiiiirtiiyiiii^ 


^i^ 


lan 
Tee 
but 
uld 


tl  Kl 


ii  ; 


ives 
3re- 
iieir 
ces- 
l  to 

sred 
;roit 
:  no 
the 
one 
lere 

iotic 
not 
and 
and 
can 
ings 
ered 
tasy 


■• 


1}  I 


*; 


COL.  HENRY  M.  UUFFItLb. 


m 


only  asks  if  you  are  true  to  the  cause  of  individual  liberty 
and  equality,  the  principles  represented  by  the  beautiful 
banner,  which  upon  this  golden  day  so  peacefully  and  so 
solemnly  floats  above  your  heads. 

Messrs.  Homer  Warren  and  Robert  Murray  then  sang 
"  The  Sword  of  Bunker  Hill."  They  alternated  in  singing 
the  verses,  and  both  were  cheered  most  heartily,  and  were 
compelled  to  repeat  the  last  verse. 

Gen.  Alger  said  he  would  introduce  a  brave  soldier 
well  known  throughout  the  state  to  make  the  historical 
address,  and  Col.  Duffield  was  loudly  applauded  as  he 
came  to  the  speaking  stand.  He  was  Hstened  to  with 
close  and  noiseless  attention.    His  address  was  as  follows  : 


'■W 


THE  HISTORICAL  ADDRESS. 

Bi  GOL  HENRY  M.  DUFHELO, 

The  scene  of  the  last  act  in  the  great  drama  of  the 
Revolutionary  War— its  final  triumph— was  laid  in  Detroit. 
One  hundred  years  ago  the  British  troops  evacuated  this 
post  and  with  them  departed  the  last  vestige  of  England's 
rule  from  the  northwest. 

To  understand  its  full  significance  a  brief  outline  of 
the  situatioxi  and  the  events  which  preceded  it  is  necessary. 

Detroit  at  this  period  is  thus  described  by  Mc  Master  : 
"Detroit  alone  was  worthy  to  be  called  a  town.  The 
place  was  founded  in  1783,  and,  except  in  population,  had 
never  taken  one  step  forward  since  the  first  hut  was  put 
up  on  the  straits.  The  inhabitants  were  believed  to 
number  three  thousand.  In  languaprp  and  customs  they 
were  French,  la  religion  they  were  Roman  Catholics. 
In  knowledge  of  the  affairs  of  the  world  they  were 
extr«^mely  ignorant.    For  a  hundred  years  the  farms  of 

17 


I     i 


■V'l 


It:! 


precisely    the    same    size    had   been   kept  in  the  same 
families,  and  cultivated  with  the  same  kind  of  implements 
in  the  same  way.    The  house  of  each  farmer  was  close  to 
the  road,  and  the  road  was  close  to  the  water's  edge. 
Near  each  house  was  an  orchard,  and  in  each  orchard  the 
same  kind  of  fruit  trees  were  to  be  seen.    Year  after  year 
the  same  crops  were  raised  in  the  same  succession.   When 
a  patch  of  land  became  exhausted  it  was  suffered  to  lie 
fallow.    Of    the    value    of    manure    the    farmers   knew 
nothing,  and  wantonly  flung  the  yield  of  the  barnyard 
into  the  waters  of  the  straits.    To  go  to  church  regularly, 
to  perform  their  religious  duties  strictly,  to  fast,  to  confess, 
and  to  pay  their  tithes  to  the  priest  promptly,  was  with 
them  the  chief  duty  of  man.    The  priest  was  the  one 
being  on  earth  to  whom  they  looked  up  with  mingled 
love  and  awe.    He  was  their  jpiritual  and  their  temporal 
guide.    He  healed  all  quarrels  and  adjusted  all  disputes. 
With  courts  and  judges,  lawyers  and  juries,  they  would 
have  nothing  to  do.    Indeed,  the  first  appearance  of  such 
among  them  was  the  occasion  of  an  outburst  of  indigna- 
tion which  was  with  difficulty  soothed.    Many  resolved 
to  dwell  no  longer  in  a  land  where  life  and  property  were 
at  the  disposal  of  godless  men,  gathered  their  goods  and 
went  over  the  border  to  the  Canadian  side.    The  town 
proper  was  made  up  of  the  fort,  the    battery,  and   a 
collection  of  ugly  houses  surrounded  by  a  high  stockade. 
The  streets  were  a  rod  wide,  and  the  inhabitants  chiefly 
engaged  in  the  fur  trade.    A  few  went  out  to  the  trapping 
grounds  themselves.    Others  sent  out   Pawnee  Indians 
whom  they  had  purchased  and  made  slaves." 

From  Griswold  to  Cass  street,  and  Lamed  street  to 
the  river  was  surrounded  by  a  stockade.  There  were 
four  gates  on  each  side  with  block  houses  over  each 

It 


*.■»•. 


me 
nts 

to 
Ige. 
the 
ear 
iien 

lie 

lew  . 
ard 
irly, 
"ess, 
vith 
one 
jled 
oral 
ites. 
ould 
mch 
gna- 
Ived 
were 

and 
;own 
id  a 
cade, 
liefly 
ping 
lians 

Bt  to 
were 
each 


^•tmitht  Mfp  mati*  Mny  *«"/»/*,    m'tk  fifHIIitnr  /ram  JUttu 
nMuinnt     fmiN  Ihe  tr«r  Prpnthnrut,  ikanin^yiU 
I  rrlulion  A>  Ike  fvteni /i/an  t/  tht  Citf 
fra/f  4Mt/frt  la  I  mrtt. 

U\\'*"  '■""""'  1^  -'«'  /» "  A,H4,l,n,lrm„  lit  tyot 


From  a  Sketch  in  Possession  of  Silas  Farmer,  Esq. 


i'      IM,'     I 


tt  I 


jijl  |i'ji;,iii'i(mir: 


& 


I 


i 

5  § 

-■  a 

o  * 

Z    B 

06  - 

-J  a 

O  I 
^  I 

>  « 


^J 


on  the  east,  west  and  north  sides.  Each  block  house  had 
four  six-poundcrs  and  there  were  also  two  batteries  of  six 
guns  each  facing  the  river.  Back  of  the  stockade  was 
Fort  Lernoult,  which  had  been  erected  in  1778  by  the 
orders  of  Major  R.  B.  Lernoult.  It  was  located  between 
what  are  now  Griswold  and  Wayne  streets,  and  extended 
from  Lafayette  street  south  of  Fort  street.  It  was  well 
designed  and  thoroughly  constructed.  Work  upon  it  was 
prosecuted  from  November,  1778,  without  intermission, 
till  after  the  following  March.  This  fort  was  no  part 
of  the  town,  but  had  its  entrance  toward  the  town  by 
a  passage  way  underneath  the  trees  with  a  drawbridge 
over  the  ditch.  The  citadel  on  what  is  now  the  corner 
of  Jefferson  avenue  and  Wayne  street,  was  connected  with 
the  fort  by  a  subterranean  passage  along  the  route  of 
which  was  the  powder  magazine.  On  each  side  of  the 
entrance  of  the  fort  was  an  iron  twenty- four-pounder, 
while  each  side  of  the  fort  was  defended  by  two  twenty, 
four-pounders  and  four  cannon  were  placed  at  each 
bastion.  The  flag  staff  was  in  the  southwest  angle  of  the 
fort  in  the  lot  where  the  Owen  residence  now  stands. 

The  surrender  of  Lord  CornwalHs  to  Washington  in 
1781,  followed  by  the  preliminary  treaty  of  peace  between 
Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  agreed  upon  at  Paris, 
November  30th,  1782,  theoretically  determined  the  bound- 
aries of  the  new  republic.  The  thirteen  British  colonies 
in  North  America,  which  had  thus  become  the  thirteen 
United  States  of  North  America,  represented  clear  and 
definite  ideas,  politically  and  socially,  but  the  boundaries 
of  the  territory  were  only  vaguely  determined.  The 
United  States  described  in  the  instructions  to  John  Adams 
in  1779,  was  quite  a  different  country  geographically  from 
the  same  United  States  whose  independence  was  acknowl- 


»9 


'iMpHiiMiflii'' 


I 


1 1 


edged  in   Paris  in   1782.      Neither    England  nor  Spain 
regarded  the  treaty  of  Paris  as  finally  settling  the  destiny 
of  the  country  of  the  United  States  west  of  the  mountains. 
Although  that  grand  prologue  to  the  constitution  and 
forerunner  of  national  emancipation,   the  ordinance    of 
1787,    proclaimed    eternal    freedom    for    the    northwest 
territory,  its  boundaries  were  indefinite,  and  it  had  not 
yet  been  surrendered  by  the  British.    While  in  the  treaty 
of  Paris  in  1782,  His  Britannic  Majesty  promised,  among 
other  things,  "  to  withdraw  all  his  armies,  garrisons  and 
fleets  from  said  United  States,  and  from  every  post,  place 
and  harbor  within  the  same,  with  all  convenient  speed," 
there  was  still  left  unsettled  a  question  of  territory  larger 
than  the  one  which  brought  on  the  French  and  Indian 
war    in    1754.      In    addition    to    this    indefiniteness    of 
boundary,  the  relation  between  the  new  government  and 
the  former  colonies,  now  matured  into  states,  was  novel 
and  peculiar,  and  their  respective  rights  over  this  territory 
not  yet  determined. 

In  the  >'eginning  the  government  of  the  United  States 
was  distinctly  federal  rather  than  national,  and  large 
portions  of  the  territory  of  the  northwest  were  within  the 
original  boundaries  of  the  respective  colonies  and  were 
claimed  to  have  passed  to  them  when  they  were  erected 
into  states.  At  the  same  time  France  was  provoked  by 
the  treaties  entered  into  by  the  United  States  with 
'  England  and  Spain,  and  looked  with  longing  eyes  upon 
these  vast  possessions  which  less  than  half  a  century 
before  had  been  wrested  from  her  by  Great  Britain.  Most 
of  the  settlers  in  the  territory  were  English  or  French. 
The  posts  were  the  depots  or  stations  of  the  increasingly 
lucrative  fur  trade,  so  desirable  in  the  mitids  of  Europeans. 
These    considerations    and    the    very  natural    desire  of 


20 


!'  i 


H  i 

Mi   \ 


England  to  interpose  between  her  possessions  in  America 
and  the  new  United  States  a  territory  of  neutral  ground 
fairly  in  the  hands  of  the  savages— constituting  a  "  buffer 
state  "  between  the  United  States  and  Canada— were  the 
real  reasons  for  the  unjustifiable  delay  in  carrying  out  the 
treaty,  and  with  all  convenient  speed  "  withdrawing  the 
British  armies,  garrisons  and  fleets  from  the  United 
States  and  every  post,  place  and  harbor  within  the  same." 
While  England  attempted  to  justify  this  delay  upon  the 
ground  that  the  United  States  had  on  their  part  violated 
their  promises  in  the  treaty,  these  claims  were  completely 
refuted  by  Jefferson,  then  Secretary  of  State  in  1793,  in  his 
correspondence  with  Mr.  Hammond,  the  envoy  extraordi- 
nary of  Great  Britain,  Whatever  may  have  been  the 
true  cause  of  the  delay,  the  result  was,  that  for  thirteen 
years  the  northwestern  posts  "  were  sharp  thorns  in  the 
sides  of  the  United  States."  Exhausting  as  had  been  the 
War  of  the  Revolution  to  the  young  nation,  it  was  com- 
pelled to  continue  an  harassing  Indian  war,  that  only 
ceased  with  the  brilliant  victory  of  General  Wayne  at  „ne 
battle  of  the  Fallen  Timbers  in  1794. 

In  July,  1783,  the  request  of  Washington,  through 
Baron  Steuben,  for  a  transfer  of  possession  of  Detroit, 
Mackinac  and  Oswego,  and  the  minor  posts,  was  met  with 
an  insolent  refusal  on  the  part  of  General  Haldiman,  the 
British  commander  in  Canada. 

In  the  following  year  General  William  Hull  was  sent, 
with  the  approval  of  Congress,  to  induce  Haldiman  to  give 
up  the  post,  but  he  met  with  a  like  refusal. 

In  1786,  President  Adams,  then  minister  to  England, 
informed  Congress  that  he  had  made  a  demand  for  the 
western  posts,  and  had  been  refused  on  the  stale  pretense, 
so  conclusiv*  ly  answered  by  Jefferson,  that  many  of  the 


ai 


« 


iTTT^:' 


^wits^'^^^.^^X^^    ^^  ","* '-T^iftr"i^^B^l5"^' 


J    • 


i^   '. 


sir  ! 


>  I' 


States  had  violated  the  treaty  in  regard  to  payment  of 
British  debts. 

Matters  were  further  complicated  by  the  active  efforts 
of  Dr.  John  Connolly,  a  Virginian  tory,  to  induce  the 
Kentucky  settlers  to  take  sides  with  the  English,  with  the 
purpose  of  wresting  Louisiana  from  Spain,  and  securing 
the  free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi.  In  1787  and  1788, 
he  was  in  Detroit  a  considerable  portion  of  the  time.  The 
English  settlers  urged  the  retention  of  Detroit,  and  in 
June,  1787,  the  garrison  was  re-enforced  by  a  full  regiment 
and  two  companies,  making  a  force  of  more  than  two  regi- 
ments. In  pursuance  of  the  plan  to  hold  the  post,  Lord 
Dorchester  personally  visited  Detroit  in  1788,  and,  under 
his  directions,  the  town  was  doubly  picketed,  and  other 
defensive  works  erected.  In  1790,  John  Knox,  then  United 
States  Secretary-of-War,  wrote  to  Governor  St.  Clair,  that 
it  was  reported  that  Benedict  Arnold  was  in  Detroit  about 
the  first  of  June,  and  that  he  had  reviewed  the  militia 
there.  In  the  same  year  President  Washington,  who,  with 
clear  foresight,  very  soon  after  the  treaty  of  1782,  had 
prophesied  "  that  England  would  retain  the  posts  as  long 
as  they  could  be  held  under  any  pretense  whatever," 
communicated  to  his  cabinet  his  apprehensions  that  Lord 
Dorchester  contemplated  sending  an  expedition  from 
Detroit  against  Louisiana.  Meantime  the  Indians  had 
grown  increasingly  hostile  under  the  encouragement  of 
the  British. 

In  1786  a  grand  confederate  council  of  the  Indians 
northwest  of  the  Ohio  was  held  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Detroit  River.  It  was  attended  by  the  Six  Nations,  the 
Hurons,  Ottawas,  Maumees,  Shawnees,  Chippewas, 
Cherokees,  Delawares,  Pottawattamies,  and  the  confeder- 
ates of  the  Wabash.    The  question  of  difference  was  one 


0t 


it4 


'  ,-t:.mi 


y'i*'''-^t 


:^Y-,fc:iZ 


s 


•1 


St 


-.^ 


of  boundary.  The  Indians  insisted  that  the  Atr  ;ricans 
should  not  cross  the  Ohio  River,  but  there  was  no  intima- 
tion of  war,  provi<1ed  the  United  States  did  not  encroach 
on  the  Indian  land.  While  there  was  a  treaty  between 
Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  concerning  this  terri- 
tory, the  Indians  were  not  included  in  it,  and  the  savages 
complained  that  the  United  States  would  "kindle  the 
council  fires  wherever  they  thought  proper  without  con- 
sulting the  Indians."  Closely  following  this  council,  the 
Hurons  of  Detroit  sent  a  message,  sealed  with  strings  of 
wampum,  to  the  Five  Nations,  complaining  of  the  delay 
of  the  Americans  in  answering  their  message,  and  desiring 
the  Five  Nations  "to  be  strong  and  punctual  of  your 
promises  to  be  with  us  early  and  in  time."  As  an  evidence 
of  the  intimate  relations  between  the  British  and  the 
Indians,  an  account  of  the  proceedings  of  this  council  was 
forwarded  to  Lord  Dorchester. 

In  1 79 1  Canada  was  divided  into  an  upper  and  lower 
province,  the  former  being  placed  under  the  administra- 
tion of  Col.  T.  S.  Simcoe,  who  established  his  headquarters 
as  governor  of  the  newly  organized  territory  of  Niagara. 
He,  with  the  British  agents,  Col.  McKee,  Capt.  Elliott  and 
the  notorious  Simon  Girty,  threw  all  their  influence 
against  the  United  States,  and  it  is  affirmed  that  Lord 
Dorchester  assisted  their  efforts  by  a  speech  to  the  Seven 
Nations  of  Canada,  as  well  as  all  the  other  Indians  at  the 
grand  council.  Governor  Simcoe  proceeded  to  Detroit, 
and  thence,  with  a  strong  detachment,  to  the  foot  of  the 
Miami  Rapids,  where  he  erected  a  fortress.  Undoubtedly 
his  fort  was  built  primarily  to  defend  Detroit.  It  was,  in 
fact,  the  re-occupation  of  a  position  held  by  the  British 
during  the  latter  part  of  the  Revolution,  the  evacuation  of 
which  had  been  bad  policy. 


I 


»i 


yg",Ml  rilijliiiu 


■I 


%l 


During  the  whole  period,  Detioit  was  the  theatre  of 
its  most  interesting  councils.  It  was  represented  by  the 
half-breeds  of  the  place  to  the  savages  around  the  post, 
and  also  to  remote  tribes,  that  Governor  Simcoe  was  to 
march  to  their  aid  with  fifteen  hundred  men;  that  he  was 
giving  clothing  and  all  necessary  supplies;  that  all  the 
speeches  sent  to  them  were  red  as  blood;  the  wampum 
and  the  feathers,  the  war  pipes  and  the  hatchets,  and  even 
the  tobacco  was  painted  red.  At  one  time  Alexander 
McKenzie,  an  agent  of  the  British  government,  was 
employed  to  paint  himself  as  an  Indian,  and  he  convened 
a  grand  council  at  Detroit,  exhibiting  himself  with  pipes 
and  wampum  as  the  credentials  of  his  authority. 

Elliott  and  the  other  British  residents  addressed  the 
council,  stating  that  McKenzie  was  an  ambassador  who 
had  retumeu  from  the  remote  tribes  of  the  upper  lakes 
and  that  their  bands  were  armed  with  the  tomahawk  and 
scalping  knife  and  were  ready  to  fall  upon  the  Americans, 
and  that  the  savages  upon  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi 
were  prepared  to  descena  and  attack  the  settlements  of 
Virginia  and  Ohio.  McKenzie  spoke  the  radian  language 
with  fluency  and  preserved  his  character  to  the  life.  He 
was  aided  in  his  deception  by  some  of  the  Wyandottes  and 
Shawnees,  who  were  acquainted  with  his  secret  and  in  the 
conspiracy.  These  means  brought  into  the  field  against 
the  United  States,  the  Ottawas,  the  Miamis,  the  Pottawat- 
tamies,  the  Delawares,  the  Shawnees,  the  Chippewas,  and 
the  Seven  Nations  of  Canada.  Many  of  the  French 
traders  at  Detroit  and  in  Michigan,  induced  by  the  fear 
that  if  they  did  not  join  the  Indian  cause  they  would  not 
be  permitted  to  trade  with  the  Indians  in  their  own 
territory,  took  up  arms  against  the  United  States.  Thus 
the  United  States  was  met  on  the  one  hand  with  the 


i 


H 


:i^si'*S(^:i^':iSS:^-)*v*^'?r^'^*  v-i?.*"-:!'^  /■ 


'  *.**,*  'M"*\3^''i^ 


'  I  ^'cAa^tU^XSdd 


f 


»  t 


GEN.  ANTHONY  WAYNE. 
From  a  Portrait  in  Possession  of  Silas  Farmer,  bsq. 


-;j..«i#dki^**  •**> 


.i^^^i. 


>^L£lif:..Ji:??t^ 


^■■^■■^•i .J^^ilb.  ...^MHiKln 


I. 


i^ 


1 


refusal  of  Great  Britain  to  yield  up  the  posts,  and  on  the 
other  with  the  organized  and  armed  opposition  of  the 
savages  to  any  interferences  with  the  territory  which  they 
claimed  as  their  own. 

Peaceable  negotiations  with  the  Indians  who  had 
gradually  strengthened  into  a  confederation  of  tribes 
throughout  the  western  forests  was  attempted  but  without 
success.  General  Harmar  with  a  force  of  fourteen 
hundred  men  was  then  sent  to  subdue  the  savages.  He 
succeeded  in  destroying  and  laying  waste  many  of  their 
villages  and  fields,  but  his  advance  was  checked  near 
Chillicothe,  Ohio,  where  he  was  defeated  in  October,  1 790, 
with  great  slaughter.  After  his  defeat  the  Indians  daily 
paraded  the  streets  of  Detroit,  exhibiting  in  triumph  the 
scalps  of  American  soldiers. 

In  1792  Governor  St.  Clair  succeeded  in  commajidand 
marched  into  the  wilderness  with  an  army  of  two  thousand 
men.  He  was  surprised  near  the  Miami  villages  by  the 
Indians  under  the  command  of  Little  Turtle,  and  notwith- 
standing his  great  personal  gallantry  in  his  efforts  to  rally 
his  retreating  forces,  he  was  forced  to  retreat  with  very 
heavy  loss. 

These  successive  repulses  aroused  Congress  to  a 
vigorous  prosecution  of  the  war,  and  General  Anthony 
Wayne  was  put  in  command  of  the  forces.  His  fame  in 
the  Revolutionary  War  had  preceded  him,  and  the  Indians 
feared  him.  They  credited  him  not  only  with  bravery  to 
rashness  but  with  much  stratagem  and  cunning,  and 
named  him  the  Black  Snake.  He  proceeded  with  charac- 
teristic energy.  In  the  latter  part  of  1793,  he  erected  a 
stockade  on  the  site  of  St.  Clair's  defeat,  which  he  called 
Fort  Recovery,  and  having  fully  matured  his  plans,  on  the 
4th  of  July,  1794  followed  the  savages  into  the  depths  of 


•5 


mmmmmimm 


-  —  ■-•!:  -■f*-f^F»"«Pm«;M»!'JW«i-iu,^Bn^i^— ^»-  T  .. 


1 

I  ■ 


the  wilderness.  Cautiously  moving  down  the  left  bank  of 
the  Maumec,  he  reached  the  rapids  about  the  19th  of 
August,  and  erected  a  small  work  called  Fort  Deposit, 
about  four  miles  above  the  British  post.  He  found  the 
Indians  entrenched  under  the  very  shadow  of  the  English 
ft)rt,  which  had  been  fortified  not  long  before  by  a  force 
sent  from  Detroit.  General  Wayne,  therefore,  prepared 
himself  to  act  defensively  against  both  civilized  and 
savage  foe.  His  army  amounted  :o  about  three  thousand 
men.  Opposed  to  him  was  the  Indian  league  which 
extended  throughout  the  whole  northwestern  frontier. 

On  the  30th  August,  1 794,  he  attacked  the  savages. 

His  plan  of  battle  was  to  send  forward  a  battalion 
of  mounted  riflemen  with  instructions  if  attacked,  to 
retreat  in  apparent  confusion  in  order  to  entice  the 
savages  into  a  less  advantageous  position,  and  upon  con- 
certed signals  to  turn  with  his  infantry,  which  included 
the  renowned  Wayne  legion,  the  right  flank  of  the  enemy. 
But  the  day  was  rainy,  the  signals  from  the  drums  could 
not  be  distinctly  heard  and  the  plan  was  not  wholly 
executed.  His  victory,  however,  was  complete.  After 
a  stubborn  resistance,  the  savages  were  defeated  and  fled 
to  the  very  walls  of  Fort  Miami.  The  battle  is  known 
in  history  as  the  battle  of  the  Fallen  Timbers.  After  the 
Indians  had  retreated,  General  Wayne  devastated  their 
fields  and  burned  their  buildings,  among  them  the  house 
of  Col.  McKee.  While  he  had  defeated  the  Indians  he 
did  not  know  how  soon  he  must  defend  himself  against 
an  attack  by  the  British  from  the  fort,  but  in  the  crisis  the 
doughty  warrior  never  flinched.  He  proudly  paraded  his 
army  in  front  of  the  fort  and  although  he  saw  the  British 
gunners  standing  at  their  guns  with  lighted  matches 
in  their    hands,  eagerly  awaiting  the  order  to  fire,  he 


'hi* 

11 


.-^u»«*»  ***^-*"*'**'~;-> -»»i»*  — " 


rode  forward  with  his  staff  to  the  very  battlements  and 
reconnoitered  the  position  with  the  utmost  deliberation. 
No  attack  was  made  upon  him  and  he  advanced  by  easy 
marches  toward  Fort  Defiance,  destroying  the  Indian 
cornfields  on  the  bottom  lands  of  the  Maumec,  then 
proceeded  up  the  Maumee  River  and  built  Fort  Wayne. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  in  this  battle  a  detachment  of 
militia  from  Detroit  were  associated  and  fought  with 
the  Indians,  General  Wayne  in  his  official  report  describes 
the  enemy  "  a  combined  force  of  the  hostile  Indians  and  a 
considerable  number  of  the  volunteers  and  militia  of 
Detroit."  A  Mr.  Smith,  clerk  of  the  court  at  Detroit, 
was  killed  in  the  action  at  head  of  a  company  which 
fought  against  the  Americans. 

It  was  estimated  that  thirteen  hundred  I'.dians  fied  to 
Detroit  for  British  protection  after  the  battle.  In  the 
fall  of  that  year  Governor  Simcoe  approved  of  the  pro- 
vision of  an  extra  surgeon  and  another  hospital  and  made 
extensive  preparations  to  strengthen  the  post  at  Detroit. 
Fort  Lernoult  was  newly  fortified,  a  new  block  house 
erected,  and  six  boats  ordered  to  be  built  at  Chatham. 
Simcoe  still  encouraged  the  Indians.  He  told  them  that 
Ohio  was  their  right  and  title  and  that  he  had  given 
orders  to  the  commandant  at  Fort  Miami  to  fire  on 
the  Americans  when  they  made  their  appearance  again, 
but  the  Indians  had  been  severely  punished  by  General 
Wayne  and  were  distrustful  of  the  ability  of  the  English 
to  protect  them.  The  battle  of  the  Fallen  Timbers  ended 
all  the  Indian  hostilities  for  the  time  being  and  was 
followed  in  the  next  year  by  the  treaty  of  Greenville. 
Before  this,  and  almost  contemporaneous  with  Wayne's 
victory.  Jay's  admirable  diplomacy  had  accomplished  the 


27 


,  ^gii»^.*g|^. 


i 


treaty  of  1794  which  bears  his  name,  under  which 
England  bound  herself  to  deliver  up  the  northwestern 
posts. 

The  treaty  called  for  the  surrender  of  the  post  by  the 
British  on  June  ist,  1796,  but  the  order  to  evacuate  was  not 
given  until  June  ad.  It  was  dated  at  Quebec  and  signed 
by  George  Beckwith,  adjutant  general. 

On  the  7th  day  of  July,  1796,  General  Hamtramck  sent 
on  to  Detroit  two  small  vessels  from  Fort  Miami  with 
a  detachment  of  artillery  and  infantry  consisting  of  sixty- 
five  men,  together  with  a  number  of  cannon  with  ammuni- 
tion, etc.,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Moses  Porter. 
Upon  his  arrival  on  the  nth  of  July,  the  British  troops, 
under  the  command  of  Col.  Richard  England,  evacuated 
the  town.  The  Union  Jack  was  hauled  down.  Old  Glory 
floated  on  the  breeze,  and  Detroit  was  free. 

Under  the  benign  influence  of  the  constitution  and 
the  incomparable  privileges  of  the  ordinance  of  1787,  the 
little  post  of  3,000  souls  has  grown  in  a  single  century  to  a 
superb  and  peerless  city,  and  the  wilderness  of  the  north- 
west is  jeweled  with  the  happy  homes  of  r  Mions  of 
freemen. 


I  h 


I 


I .; 


IH 


M 


^.^rfga 


1} 


A    «  LI  c  r  F  ,  E  N  c 


fl>' 


■^  ■  *'  3^  ^'wi 


L^a..lR     —I..,.   ,(«* 


THE  ORATION. 

BY  HON.  lUUUS  C  BUSROVS. 

Fellow  Ci/izens— That  p.itriotic  impulse  which  prompts 
the  people  to  search  cut,  preserve,  dedicate,  and  fittingly 
mark,  with  tablet  or  monument,  the  places  of  historic 
interest  along  the  highway  of  a  nation's  course,  made 
memorable  by  the  happening  of  some  important  event  i" 
the  history  of  the  country,  is  a  spirit  deserving  the  highest 
commendation.  It  is  prompted  by  and  serves  a  double 
purpose.  It  not  only  pays  a  fitting  tribute  to  the  memory 
of  the  actors  in  such  events,  but  it  serves,  for  all  times,  as 
an  inspiration  to  the  passing  generations.  We  may  read, 
unmoved,  the  story  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  or  the  history 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  but  we  cannot  stand 
on  Plymouth  Rock,  or  within  the  shadow  of  Independence 
Hall,  without  feeling  a  quicker  heart-throb,  and  being 
imbued  with  something  of  that  spirit  of  devotion  to  the 
cause  of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  which  inspired  the  men 
and  women  who  made  these  places  immortal.  I  regard, 
therefore,  every  step  taken  toward  the  preservation  of 
these  landmarks  of  history  as  most  auspicious  otnens. 

And  here  I  pause  to  say  that  public  acknowledgment 
ought  to  be  made  to  those  patriotic  orders,  in  the  United 
States,  engaged  to-day  in  the  laudable  undertaking  of  res- 
cuing from  oblivion  and  preserving  from  desecration, 
places  made  historic  by  the  events  which  there  transpired. 
They  are  not  only  writing  history,  but  they  are  doing  that 
which  will  exert  a  silent,  yet  potent,  influence  on  all  the 
generations  to  come.  In  this  spirit,  and  with  this  purpose, 
we  mark  to-day  a  spot  of  historic  interest,  not  only  to  the 
state,  but  to  the  nation.    In  recognition  of  the  importance 


J.H. 

1^ 


29 


I' s 

15- 


*.iai.- 


«*W       -jt_ii  J"^    -■•^t*2"-i 


f}  .' 


•.^aiw-Tft^^^  \  ,.,5.,-Bfes.  ^ 


-  4^-^-h*^   ~  l^;,?^Hltofc. 


*^-S^-'"''^ 


of  the  event,  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  co-oper- 
ates in  the  designating  and  preserving  of  the  place  which 
will  be  forever  memorable  in  the  annals  of  our  country. 

Here  it  was,  a  hundred  years  ago,  that  the  British  flag 
gave  way  to  the  banner  of  the  republic,  and  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  were  unfurled  in  toicen  of  the  sovereignty  of  the 
United  States.  I  have  neither  the  time,  nor  is  this  the  occa- 
sion, to  rehearse  the  story  of  the  struggle  of  the  colonies 
for  national  independence.  It  is  sufficient  for  my  purpose 
to-day  to  say  that  the  termination  of  the  War  of  the  Revo- 
lution found  the  British  government  in  possession  of  the 
military  posts  on  the  western  frontiers,  among  the  most 
important  of  which  was  that  at  Detroit,  which  she  had  occu- 
pied since  the  French  relinquished  their  claim  to  the  terri- 
tory in  1760.  The  seat  of  war  for  national  independence 
being  chiefly  confined  within  the  limits  of  the  colonies  par- 
ticipating in  the  struggle,  England  was  permitted  to  hold 
these  outlying  posts  practically  undisturbed,  which  she 
used  as  recruiting  stations  for  her  Indian  allies,  whom 
she  invited  into  her  service,  and  whom  she  subsequently 
employed  to  harass  the  settlers  on  the  frontier,  and  impede, 
if  not  prevent,  the  settlement  of  the  northwest  territory. 

These  points  were  too  remote,  and  the  forces  holding 
them  too  insignificant  to  engage  the  attention  of  the 
Continental  army.  By  the  terms  of  the  treaty  of  peace, 
however,  between  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States, 
concluded  in  1783,  it  was  expressly  stipulated  and  agreed 
that  "His  Britannic  Majesty  shall  with  all  convenienl 
speed,  and  without  causing  any  destruction  of  property,  or 
carrying  away  any  negroes  or  other  property  of  the 
American  inhabitants,  withdraw  all  his  armies,  garrisons 
and  fleets  from  the  United  States,  and  from  every  part, 
pla^e  and  harbor  within  the  same." 


■^ 


^'e"->'.W4*  'sf,, 


A  strict  compliance  with  the  terms  of  this  treaty, 
imposed  upon  Great  Britain  the  obligation  to  withdraw 
her  military  forces  from  every  portion  of  the  territory  of 
the  United  States  and  abandon  all  assumption  of  power 
over  any  part  of  their  domain. 

It  is  a  matter  of  history,  however,  that  the  British 
government,  while  conforming  to  the  terms  of  the  treaty 
within  the  limits  of  the  states,  persisted  for  a  period  of 
nearly  thirteen  years  thereafter  in  retaining  possession  of 
the  posts  on  the  frontier,  including  that  of  Detroit,  and  in 
exercising  authority  and  asserting  dominion  over  an 
extensive  territory  in  the  northwest. 

After  the  close  of  the  war,  and  during  the  entire 
period  of  the  existence  of  the  government  of  the  confed- 
eration,  and  prolonged  under  the  national  constitution  of 
1787,  even  until  near  the  close  of  Washington's  second 
administration  as  President  of  the  United  States,  the 
British  flag  continued  to  float  over  a  British  garrison 
quartered  within  the  limits  of  this  city.  To  us  of  to-day, 
removed  by  more  than  a  century  of  time  from  these 
startling  events,  it  seems  incredible  that  the  British 
government  should  have  been  permitted  to  have  asserted 
and  maintained  even  a  show  of  authority  over  any  portion 
of  the  territory  of  the  United  States.  Circumstances, 
however,  contributed  to  this  assumption  of  power,  and 
rendered  its  exercise  comparatively  safe.  The  country 
had  just  emerged  from  a  protracted  and  exhaustive 
struggle  for  independence  and  found  itself  with  a  bank- 
rupt treasury  and  a  ruined  credit.  The  government  of  the 
confederation  set  up  in  1781,  and  continued  until  1789,  was 
too  feeble  to  command  confidence  at  home  or  respect 
abroad,  and  was  powerless  to  assert  itself  even  within  the 
limits  of  the  confederated  states. 


|I 


-jf.wir'*,:««f!,. 


—  ^-  ' "' ';ibtt«.'-- 'i^^iJ^&w.'M^ 


'"     i  •'. 


!     i    1 


i     :  '1 


J  >H' 


It  has  been  well  said,  "  The  Continental  Congress, 
under  the  articles  of  confederation,  may  make  and 
conclude  treaties,  but  can  only  recommend  the  observance 
of  them.  They  may  appoint  ambassadors,  but  they  can- 
not defray  even  the  expenses  of  their  table.  They  may 
borrow  money  in  their  own  name  on  the  faith  of  the  union, 
but  they  cannot  pay  a  dollar.  They  may  coin  money,  but 
they  cannot  import  an  ounce  of  bullion.  They  may  make 
war  and  determine  the  number  of  troops  necessary  to 
carry  it  on,  but  they  are  powerless  to  raise  a  single  soldier. 
In  short,  they  may  declare  everything,  but  they  can  do 
nothing." 

Such  was  the  character  of  the  government  set  up 
during  the  struggle  for  independence,  and  permitted  to 
continue  until  the  4th  of  March,  1789.  It  is  not  surprising, 
therefore,  that  Great  Britain,  in  the  continued  occupancy 
of  these  western  posts,  after  the  treaty  of  1783,  should  be 
wholly  indifferent  to  the  wishes  or  existence  of  a  govern- 
ment  rapidly  falling  into  decay,  and  should  be  actuated  in 
her  course  solely  by  considerations  of  personal  interest. 

What  these  considerations  were  which  prompted  the 
retention  of  these  posts,  history  fails  fully  to  disclose;  but 
that  they  were  inimical  to  the  interests  of  the  United 
States  does  not  admit  of  question.  It  is  not  improbable 
that  considerations  of  trade,  to  the  promotion  of  which 
Great  Britain  is  always  keenly  alive,  was  the  mainspring 
of  her  action,  and  it  is  barely  possible  she  may  have 
indulged  the  hope,  if  not  the  expectation,  that  the  experi- 
ment of  free  government  in  the  new  world,  as  exemplified 
in  the  confederation,  was  doomed  to  a  speedy  and 
disastrous  issue,  in  which  event,  by  the  retention  of  her 
foothold  on  the  western  frontier,  she  would  be  in  a 
position  to  regain  her  power  and  reassert  her  sovereignty. 


|t 


■-i   :_.^.,.,  ■  t^..i;»i€:^ 


Whatever  may  be  the  truth  of  the  matter,  either 
of  these  considerations  would  have  been  sufficient  to 
influence  her  judgment  and  determine  her  course  ;  but  it 
is  more  than  probable  that  the  importance  of  her  trade 
with  the  northwest,  which  in  1785,  in  furs  alone,  is  said  to 
have  reached  the  magnitude  of  one  hundred  and  eighty 
thousand  pounds  annually,  coupled  with  the  advantages 
of  an  enlarged  market  for  British  goods,  to  which  con- 
sideration she  is  never  indifferent,  was  the  primary,  if  not 
the  controlling  motive  for  the  retention  of  these  frontier 
posts. 

-  The  question  of  promoting  British  trade  and  British 
interest  would  seem  to  have  been  uppermost  in  the  minds 
of  the  representatives  of  the  English  government,  when 
every  application  for  permission  to  build  or  navigate 
private  vessels  on  the  lakes  was  refused,  and  the  recom- 
mendations made  to  the  home  government  as  late  as  1785, 
"That  a  sufficient  number  of  the  queen's  ships  be  kept 
upon  the  lakes  to  do  the  carrying  trade  and  that  all 
other  crafts  whatever  be  prohibited." 

But  whatever  the  motive,  whether  trade  or  territorial 
retention  or  acquisition,  the  fact  remains  that  when 
shortly  after  the  treaty  of  peace  a  demand  was  made  for 
the  surrender  of  this  and  other  points  in  the  northwest, 
the  request  was  flatly  refused  and  the  occupancy  con- 
tinued. This  could  be  done  with  impunity,  for  there  was 
not  sufficient  vitality  remaining  in  the  old  government  of 
the  confederation  to  effectively  assert  the  rights  of  the 
people,  or  enforce  the  mandates  of  the  government. 
Fortunately  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  United  States, 
doubly  fortunate  for  the  cause  of  hrman  liberty  and  free 
government,  the  rotten  fabric  of  confederation  speedily 
gave  way  to  the  substitution  and  enduring  structure  of 


33 


'  '.^tfAafc. 


1787,  under  and  by  virtue  of  which  a  national  government 
was  inaugurated,  possessed  of  ample  power,  not  only  to 
maintain  its  own  existence,  but  to  enforce  obedience  to  its 
rightful  demands.  Yet  even  then  British  occupancy  cou- 
tinued.  It  seems  incredible  that  for  more  than  seven  years 
after  the  establishment  of  the  national  government,  and 
the  inauguration  of  Washington  as  President  of  the 
United  States,  the  British  flag  continued  to  float  above 
the  posts  of  the  western  frontier. 

When  we  consider,  however,  the  difficulties  attending 
the  inauguration  of  a  new  government,  the  exhausted 
resources  of  the  people  just  emerging  from  a  protracted 
war,  perplexed  by  a  burdensome  debt,  a  doubtful  credit, 
it  is  not  surprising  that  the  authorities  were  slow  to  take 
any  step  which  might  provoke  a  renewal  of  hostilities  and 
involve  the  new  government  in  the  wastes  and  uncertain- 
ties of  war.  Time  and  diplomacy  might  be  relied  upon  to 
accomplish  the  desired  end.  The  continued  occupancy, 
however,  by  the  British,  of  these  strongholds  on  the 
western  frontier,  was  not  only  a  flagrant  usurpation  of 
authority,  but  was  characterized  by  a  spirit  of  animosity, 
which  made  their  retention  peculiarly  exasperating  and 
ofiEensive. 

Not  content  during  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  with 
invoking  the  aid  of  her  savage  allies,  now,  when  the  war 
was  concluded  and  peace  declared.  Great  Britain  sought 
by  every  means  at  her  command  to  create,  foster  and 
perpetuate  a  spirit  of  hostility  among  the  Indians  of  the 
northwest  towards  the  hardy  frontiersmen  pushing  their 
settlements  across  the  Ohio.  To  this  end  they  encour- 
aged the  Indians  to  insist  upon  the  Ohio  River  as  the 
southern  boundary  of  their  possessions,  to  decline  to  enter 
into  any  treaty  with  the  United  States  touching  these 


u 


S4 


lands,  and  were  made  to  believe  that  the  English  govern- 
ment in  retaining  the  posts,  was  actuated  only  by  a  desire 
to  protect  the  Indians  in  the  rightful  possession  of  their 
territory.  It  was  an  English  Indian  superintendent, 
Johnson,  who  said  to  the  Indians,  "It  is  for  your  sakes, 
chiefly,  if  not  entirely,  that  we  hold  these  forts." 

Lord  Dorchester,  speaking  through  Capt.  Matthews, 
whom  he  sent  to  command  at  Detroit  in  1786,  after  express- 
ing regret  that  the  Indians  had  consented  to  permit  the 
Americans  to  construct  a  road  to  Niagara,  said  to  them  ; 
"  In  the  future.  His  Lordship  wishes  you  to  act  as  is  best 
for  your  interests.  He  cannot  begin  a  war  with  the 
Americans  because  some  of  their  people  encroach  and 
make  depredations  upon  parts  of  the  Indian  country  ;  but 
they  must  see  it  is  His  Lordship's  intention  to  defend  the 
posts,  and  that  while  they  are  preserved,  the  Indians  must 
feel  great  security  therefrom,  and  consequently  the  Amer- 
icans greater  difficulty  in  taking  possession  of  their  land. 
But  should  they  once  become  masters  of  the  posts,  they 
will  surround  the  Indians,  and  accomplish  their  purpose 
with  little  trouble.  You  seem  apprehensive  that  the 
English  are  not  very  anxious  about  the  defense  of  the 
posts.  You  will  soon  be  satisfied  that  they  have  nothing 
more  at  heart,  provided  that  it  continues  to  be  the  wish 
of  the  Indians,  and  that  they  remain  firm  in  doing  their 
part  of  the  business,  by  preventing  the  Americans  from 
coming  into  their  country,  and  consequently,  from  march- 
ing to  the  posts.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  Indians  think 
it  more  for  their  interest  that  the  Americans  should  have 
possession  of  the  posts,  and  be  established  in  their  country, 
they  ought  to  declare  it,  that  the  English  need  no  longer 
be  put  to  the  vast  and  unnecessary  expense  and  incon- 
veniences of  keeping  the  posts,  the  chief  object  of  which 


1 


IS 


iiiMii 


J 


- 1 


is  to  protect  their  Indian  allies,  and  the  loyalists  who  have 
suffered  with  them." 

This  artful  pronunciamento  was  well  calculated,  as  it 
was  evidently  designed,  to  encourage  the  Indians  to  persist 
in  their  claim  of  territorial  jurisdiction,  and  incite  them  to 
fresh  acts  of  hostility  against  the  venturesome  pioneer. 
With  such  assurances  of  friendship  and  support,  backed 
by  the  presence  of  the  British  garrisons,  and  the  sight  of 
the  British  flag,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  Indians 
were  encouraged  to  persist  in  their  hostility  towards  the 
United  States,  and  that  all  efforts  to  secure  possession  of 
this  territory  by  peaceful  instrumentality  proved  wholly 
abortive. 

The  defeat  of  the  forces  of  Gen.  Harmer,  sent  against 
the  Indians  in  1790,  followed  a  year  later  by  the  defeat  of 
St.  Clair,  served  to  increase  their  hostility,  and  demon- 
strated how  thoroughly  British  influence  aroused  and 
solidified  the  Indians  in  defense  of  what  they  had  been 
taught  and  encouraged  to  believe  were  their  inalienable 
rights.  Brant,  the  chief  of  the  Six  Nations,  whose  influ- 
ence was  solicited  by  President  Washington,  after  the 
defeat  of  Harmer  and  St.  Clair,  to  bring  about  a  peace 
with  the  western  tribe,  to  which  end  a  commission  was 
appointed  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  in  1793,  in 
explanation  of  the  failure  of  such  commission,  did  not 
hesitate  to  declare  it  was  British  influence  which  prevented 
its  consummation.  "To  our  surprise,"  he  said,  "when 
upon  the  point  of  entering  upon  a  treaty,  with  the  com- 
missioners, we  found  it  was  opposed  by  those  acting  under 
the  British  government,  and  hope  of  assistance  was  given 
to  our  western  brethren  to  encourage  them  to  insist  upon 
the  Ohio  as  the  boundary  between  them  and  the  United 
States." 


■■.j^««fj 


-.^         IBM 


) 


The  response  of  the  Indians  to  the  overtures  of  this 
commission  disclosed  the  "power  behind  the  throne," 
when  they  declared :  "  We  desire  you  to  consider  that  our 
only  demand  is  the  peaceable  possession  of  a  small  part  of 
our  once  great  country.  We  shall  be  persuaded  that  you 
mean  to  do  us  justice  if  you  agree  that  the  Ohio  River 
shall  remain  the  boundary  between  us." 

I  have  .said  this  much  in  explanation  of  the  motive  for 
the  retention  of  the  posts  on  the  frontier.  Thus  ended 
this  renewed  eflfort  on  the  part  of  the  government  to  con- 
ciliate the  Indians,  and  establish,  by  treaty  stipulation,  the 
peace  and  security  of  the  border. 

The  Indians  elated  with  the  victories  over  Harmer 
and  St.  Clair,  were  emboldened  in  their  manifestations 
of  hostility,  while  the  governor  of  Canada  proceeded  to 
erect  a  new  fort  on  the  banks  of  the  Maumee,  which  was 
interpreted  by  the  Indians  as  a  fresh  assurance  of  sym- 
pathy and  support.  This  attempt  on  the  part  of  the 
British  to  entrench  themselves  more  securely  on  the 
border,  was  declared  by  Washington  to  be  the  most 
daring  act  yet  committed  by  the  British  agents  in  America, 
though  not  the  most  hostile  or  cruel,  for  he  declared  : 
"  There  does  not  remain  a  doubt  in  the  mind  of  any  well- 
informed  person  in  this  country,  not  shut  against  con- 
viction, that  the  murders  of  our  helpless  women  and 
innocent  children,  along  our  frontiers,  result  from  the 
conduct  of  the  agents  of  Great  Britain  in  this  country." 

With  increased  hostility  on  the  part  of  the  Indians, 
and  a  fresh  assumption  of  power  on  the  part  of  Great 
Britain,  it  was  manifest  affairs  were  rapidly  approaching 
a  crisis,  when  it  would  become  necessary  for  the  govern- 
ment to  assert  its  rightful  dominion  and  admonish  the 
Indians  and  their  British  allies,  that  the  savagery  of  the 

17 


...^._,*^':^ 


one  and  the  domination  of  the  other  could  not  longer 
be  tolerated.  To  this  end  Gen.  Wayne,  in  command  of 
the  United  States  forces,  entered  the  territory  on  the  aoth 
of  August,  1794,  fought  a  bloody  but  decisive  battle  with 
the  Indians  within  hearing  of  the  newly  erected  British 
fort  on  the  Maumee.  The  officer  in  command  of  the  fort, 
Maj.  Campbell,  having  inquired  of  Gen.  Wayne  what 
inteqiretation  was  to  he  placed  upon  the  near  approach 
of  his  command  to  the  garrison  which  he  had  the  honor 
to  command,  must  have  received  the  impression  from  the 
general's  reply  that  it  was  none  of  the  major's  particular 
business,  as  he  said:  "The  most  full  and  satisfactory 
answer  was  given  the  day  before  from  the  muzzle  of 
my  guns  in  an  action  with  a  horde  of  savages  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  fort,  and  which  terminated  gloriou.sly  to 
the  American  arms. "  And  the  general  took  occasion  to 
add,  for  the  information  of  the  British  commandant, 
which  must  have  served  as  food  for  reflection,  that,  •'  Had 
the  battle  continued  until  the  Indians  were  driven  under 
the  influence  of  your  fort  and  guns,  they  would  not  much 
have  impeded  the  progress  of  the  victorious  army  under 
my  command. " 

It  was  the  beginning  ot  the  end.  In  spite  of  the 
efforts  of  British  emissaries  to  induce  the  Indians  to 
prolong  the  conflict,  on  the  3d  of  August,  1795,  the 
Indians  responded  to  the  invitation  of  Gen.  Wayne  to 
meet  him  in  council,  at  Greenville,  where  they  entered 
into  and  concluded  a  treaty  of  peace.  By  the  terms  of 
this  treaty  extensive  g^rants  of  land  were  ceded  to  the 
United  States,  among  them  a  strip  six  miles  wide  on 
the  eastern  shore  of  Michigan  from  the  Raisin  River  to 
Lake  St.  Clair,  and  all  claims  to  the  posts  at  Detroit  and 
Mackinac  wholly  surrendered.    In  the  meantime  a  treaty 

|i 


had  been  concluded  with  Great  Britain,  by  which  it 
was  stipulated  among  other  things,  that  '*  on  or  before  the 
ist  day  of  June,  1796,  the  British  garrison  should  be 
withdrawn  from  all  posts  and  places  within  the  limits 
of  the  United  States." 

The  execution  of  the  terms  of  this  treaty  was  some* 
what  delayed,  but  on  the  nth  day  of  July,  1796,  a 
hundred  years  ago  this  very  day,  the  American  flag 
was  for  the  first  time  unfurled  at  Detroit,  proclaiming 
the  departure  of  an  alien  power  and  the  ascended  sov- 
ereignty of  the  United  States.  It  is  most  fitting,  there- 
fore, that  the  centennial  anniversary  of  that  day  should  be 
commemorated  on  the  very  spot  made  memorable  by  the 
happening  of  this  great  event  and  that  it  should  be 
marked  with  enduring  tablet  that  the  memory  of  it 
may  be  preserved  and  transmitted  to  those  who  are  to 
come  after  us. 

And  let  me  say  in  this  connection,  that  what  occurred 
here  a  century  ago  to-day,  was  fraught  with  more  than 
local  interest.  It  meant  the  enforcement  of  that  great 
ordinance  of  1787  which,  for  wise  statesmanship  and 
patriotic  purpose,  is  entitled  to  hold  a  place  in  American 
history  second  only  to  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 
For  it  was  by  this  ordinance  that  the  territory  northwest 
of  the  Ohio,  embraced  within  the  present  limits  of  the 
states  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Wisconsin  and  Michigan, 
was  set  apart  and  forever  dedicated  to  free  government 
and  enlightened  citizenship. 

It  guaranteed  freedom  of  religious  worship,  a  compre- 
hensive bill  of  rights,  encouragement  of  schools,  that  the 
states  to  be  formed  from  this  territory  not  less  than  three 
nor  more  than  five  should  remain  permanently  in  the 
confederacy,  and    finally  that    there  should   be  neither 


39 


' 


.  ^>  ■.s*«*'?* 


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slavery  nor  involuntary  tervitude  within  the  limits  of  said 
territory,  except  in  the  punishment  of  crime,  of  which  the 
party  shall  have  been  duly  convicted. 

By  this  ordinance  the  great  northwest  was  made  the 
nursery  of  civil  and  religious  liberty — the  cradle  of  free 
staleM  and  free  men.  And  what  was  of  incalculable  value, 
as  subsequent  events  demonstrated,  its  terms  were  to 
remain  forever  unalterable,  except  by  common  consent. 
Every  attempt  to  abrogate  or  suspend  its  provisions 
proved  wholly  abortive.  This  great  ordinance,  irrevocable 
in  character,  defended  by  resolute  and  uncompromising 
men,  proved  to  be  an  insurmountable  barrier  to  the  exten- 
sion of  slavery  in  the  northwest,  and  a  wall  of  defense  to 
the  champions  of  free  states  and  free  men. 

We  do  well,  therefore,  to  commemorate  an  event 
which  is  not  only  of  local  interest,  but  which,  in  its  far- 
reaching  influence,  has  been  felt  through  the  intervening 
years,  and  made  itL-  lasting  impress  on  the  century.  The 
flag  which  a  hundred  years  ago  was  here  unfurled,  on  the 
then  borders  of  civilization,  proclaiming  the  sovereignty  of 
the  nation  over  the  northwest,  has  been  borne  across  and 
subdued  a  continent,  and  ."loats  to-day,  with  augmented 
power  and  glory,  o\cr  seventy-five  millions  of  people, 
possessing  a  domain  imperial  In  extent,  ;Md  a  government 
securely  reposing  on  ^i-c  public  will. 

May  thsL.  'aaf'er,  symbolizing  unity  and  liberty,  float 
on  forever,  coniiianding  tli'j  allegiance  of  the  citizen  and 
the  •  "jspfcct  of  i..^Hnkind. 


Senator    Burrows'    oration  was  enthusiastically  ap- 
plauded. 


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JAMES  B.  ANGELL.  LL.  D. 
President  of  the  University  of  AMchijran. 


I 


PRESEDE^rr  ANGELL'S  ADDRESS. 

Pres.  James  B.  Angell,  of  the  University  of  Michigan, 
was  then  called  upon  by  the  chairman,  for  a  few  words. 
He  was  received  with  hearty  cheers,  and  spoke  as  follows  : 

Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen — He  must  be  a 
bolder  or  a  vainer  man  than  I  am,  who  can  willingly  rise 
to  his  feet  here,  to  speak  at  this  late  hour,  and  to  follow 
the  two  distinguished  men,  whose  instructive  and  eloquent 
addresses  we  have  listened  to  with  such  delight.  But  I 
remember  that  Gen.  Alger  is  in  command,  and  whenever 
he  has  faced  a  foe,  it  has  proved  useless  to  resist.  And, 
indeed,  it  is  not  easy  to  keep  silent,  when  one  stands  in 
this  inspiring  presence,  and  on  this  sacred  spot,  and  sur- 
rounded by  these  precious  relics  of  the  past. 

Rhode  Islander  as  I  am  by  birth,  I  cannot,  unmoved 
take  in  my  hand  this  telescope,  which  that  brave  Rhode 
Islander,  Oliver  Hazard  Perry,  captured  from  the  ship  of 
the  British  commander,  in  the  decisive  battle  of  Lake  Erie, 
and  he  must  have  a  colder  heart  than  I,  who  can  lay  his 
hand  on  this  old  flag  staff  v  ithout  feeling  something  of  the 
touch  of  patriotic  joy  with  which  those  sixty-five  brave 
American  soldiers  saw  the  Stars  and  Stripes  raised  to  its 
peak  a  hundred  years  ago  this  day,  in  token  of  the  estab- 
lishment of  our  sovereignty  over  the  whole  northwest. 

It  was  a  happy  thought  to  celebrate  this  day.  I  have 
often  wondered  that  Detroit  has  not  given  more  oppor- 
tunities to  commemorate  the  great  men  and  the  great 
events  in  its  remarkable  history.  Long  years  ago,  the 
sagacious  men,  who  laboriously  ascended  this  stream,  saw 
that  this  place  was  "  beautiful  for  situation,  the  joy  of  the 
whole  earth,"  that  here  was  sure  to  be  a  city,  "  the  Queen 

41 


I 


I  v?l^.^. 


*-.^' 


'  ---■  -•■ -.-=-'^-------jf  |||--(|||| -iBi'riMiiirti[iil|igiif"gMi(iiiiBHtipiltMM 


iiaiiiH 


:H 


of  the  Straits,"  wearing  at  her  girdle  the  key  to  the  upper 
lakes,  and  to  the  great  northwest.  You  make  pilgrimages 
to  Bunker  Hill,  to  Valley  Forge,  and  to  Yorktown,  as  to 
sacred  shrines.  But  to  what  spot  in  all  this  land  are  more 
romantic  and  thrilling  historic  associatious  attached  than 
to  this,  when  one  recalls  the  adventures  of  the  old  explorers 
and  missionaries,  the  gifted  men  who  administered  afiEairs 
under  the  French  rule  ;  the  shrewd  English  administrators 
and  soldiers  who  succeeded  them  ;  the  Indian  wars,  which 
centered  here  ;  the  painful  events  of  the  Revolutionary, 
days,  and  of  the  War  of  1812.  Our  children  and  our  chil- 
dren's children  should  all  be  made  to  feel,  by  celebrations 
like  this,  and  by  historic  monuments  and  commemorative 
tablets,  that  here,  at  their  own  homes,  is  a  spot  as  sacred 
in  their  country's  history,  as  any  in  all  our  broad  domain. 
The  distinguished  speakers  who  have  preceded  me 
have  suggested,  and  truly,  that  one  of  the  reasons  why 
Great  Britain  retained  this  and  other  frontier  posts  for 
thirteen  years  after  the  Treaty  of  Independence,  was 
their  doubt  whether  we  were  really  going  to  be  able 
to  retain  our  independence.  Under  the  weakness  of  our 
old  confederation  this  doubt  on  the  part  of  the  English 
was  perhaps  not  unreasonable.  But,  may  I  call  your 
attention  to  the  more  surprising  fact  that  long  after  the 
establishment  of  our  stronger  government  under  the  con- 
stitution, the  English  seemed  to  cherish  the  same  doubt. 
In  1 8 14,  at  the  opening  of  the  negotiations  for  the  Treaty, 
of  Ghent,  the  very  first  proposition  made  by  the  British 
commissioners  to  ours,  and  made  as  a  sine  qua  twn  of 
the  treaty,  was  that  we  should  set  apart  for  Indians  the 
vast  territory  now  comprising  the  states  of  Michigan, 
Wisconsin,  Illinois,  and  a  considerable  part  of  the  states 
of  Indiana  and  Ohio,  and  that  we  should  never  purchase 


4« 


^■.«^  ■ 


it  from  them.  A  sort  of  Indian  sovereignty  under  British 
guaranty  was  to  be  established  in  our  domni  Coupled 
with  this  was  a  demand  that  we  should  have  no  armed 
force  on  the  lakes.  There  were  other  demands  scarcely 
less  preposterous.  Think  of  making  such  "cheeky" 
demands  as  these  to  John  Quincy  Adams  and  Henr)'  Clay 
and  James  A.  Bayard  and  Albert  Gallatin  and  Jonathan 
Russell.  It  did  nol  take  these  spirited  men  many  minutes 
to  send  back  answer  in  e£Eect  that  until  the  United  States 
had  lost  all  sense  of  independence,  they  would  not  even 
listen  to  such  propositions.  They  threatened  to  go  home. 
Castlereagh,  the  Prime  Minister,  happening  to  reach 
Ghent  on  his  way  to  Vienna,  ordered  an  abatement  of  the 
British  demands,  and  so  an  honorable  peace  was  made. 
But  the  same  idea  of  a  "buffer  state"  of  Indians  under 
British  influence,  to  be  used  in  need  as  a  means  of  regain- 
ing power  here,  was  cherished  at  the  outset  as  was  enter- 
tained in  1790. 

And  even  if  we  come  down  to  our  Civil  War,  who  has 
forgotten  how  Lord  John  Russell,  in  response  to  our 
demands  for  the  suppression  of  cruisers  like  the  Alabama, 
replied  that  Great  Britain  had  no  municipal  law  which 
forbade  the  construction  of  such  vessels,  and  refused  to 
consider  our  contention  that  international  law  called  for 
the  prohibition  of  them.  He  did  not  believe  that  we  were 
to  survive  as  a  nation  long  enough  or  strong  enough 
to  enforce  our  demands.  He  afterwards  manfully  con- 
fessed his  mistake.  But  his  first  answer  to  us  afterwards 
cost  Engi  id  fifteen  and  a  half  million  dollars.  And  did 
not  Hon.  Mr.  Gladstone  declare  that  Mr.  Jefferson  Davis 
had  created  a  nation  ?  With  all  our  respect  for  him, 
it  is  hard  for  us  to  forget  that  unhappy  remark,  which 
he  had  no  business  to  make. 


m 


'Tf^Ri. 


/^ 


But,  thank  God,  when  the  brave  veterans  at  Appo- 
mattox struck  the  last  fatal  blow  and  ended  the  war 
of  secession,  you  also  won  a  victory  of  which  perhaps  you 
little  thought  at  the  time  you  slew  the  last  lingering  doubt 
in  the  English  mind  of  the  ability  and  will  of  this  nation 
to  maintain  its  integrity  and  its  independence.  From  that 
day  to  this  no  Englishman  has  raised  the  question 
whether  we  are  to  remain  a  mighty  and  free  nation. 

But  I  say  all  this  without  any  spark  of  bitterness 
toward  England.  Thank  God,  when  her  troops  quitted 
our  soil  they  did  not  take  away  with  them  those  muniments 
of  liberty,  which  we  brought  from  the  home  of  our  fathers, 
the  habeas  corpus,  the  right  of  trial  by  jury,  the  right  of 
petition,  the  spirit  of  obedience  to  law,  the  inextinguishable 
love  of  civil  and  religious  liberty.  These  English-speaking 
races,  now  that  England  recognizes  thoroughly  our  inde- 
pendence and  our  strength,  bound  together  by  the  ties  of 
a  common  language,  common  blood,  similar  laws  and 
political  institutions,  fondly  hope  to  settle  all  their  mis- 
understandings without  war,  and  by  their  example  of 
good  government,  to  commend  free  institutions  to  all 
nations. 

The  whole  world  respects  us  now.  There  is  no  sea  so 
remote,  and  no  pathway  of  the  traveler  so  excluded,  that 
the  flag  of  our  Union  is  not  there  sufficient  protection  to 
the  humblest  American  citizen.  And  it  is  to  you,  brave 
old  veterans  of  the  war,  that  we  owe  this  proud  position  of 
our  nation.  

When  the  applause  which  greeted  the  speaker  had 
subsided,  a  benediction  was  pronounced  by  Rt.  Rev.  John 
S.  Foley,  D.  D.,  Roman  Catholic  Bishop  of  Detroit,  after 
which  the  great  gathering  dispersed. 


44 


«    -    <«!■>    ■-    ._.* 


.JrtHI 


war 


THE  LUNCH  ON  THE  RIVER. 

Immediately  after  leaving  the  hall,  the  speakers  and 
distinguished  visitors  were  driven  to  the  foot  of  Wood- 
ward avenue,  where  the  steamer  Pleasure  was  awaiting 
them.  About  300,  including  the  committees  of  the  day 
and  the  members  of  the  Fourth  Infantry,  M.  N.  G.,  who 
had  acted  as  ushers  at  the  hall,  boarded  the  vessel  and 
were  carried  several  miles  down  the  river.  An  excellent 
lunch  was  served,  and  Haug's  mandolin  orchestra  enliv- 
ened the  occasion  with  music.  There  was  no  set  pro- 
gramme, but  conversation  and  music  made  the  time  pass 
very  pleasantly.  The  day  was  fine  and  nothing  could 
have  been  wished  to  add  to  the  perfect  enjoyment  of 
the  occasion. 

THE  MILITARY  PARADE 

Between  the  hours  of  four  and  six  in  the  afternoon 
the  celebration  took  the  form  of  a  grand  military  parade. 
Major  Ford  H.  Rogers  was  chief  marshal  and  Gen.  Arthur 
Bresler  chief  of  staflE.  The  parade  formed  on  Jefferson 
avenue  at  Dequindre  street,  and  the  route  of  march  was 
down  Jefferson  to  Woodward,  up  Woodward  and  Monroe 
avenues  to  Miami  avenue,  thence  up  to  the  Grand  Circus 
and  back  by  Woodward  to  Michigan  avenue;  thence  by 
Wayne  street  to  Lafayette  avenue,  to  Third  street,  to  Fort 
street  and  by  that  thoroughfare  to  the  Campus  Martins, 
where  the  various  companies  and  organizations  participat- 
ing were  disbanded.  Forty-five  minutes  were  consumed 
in  passing  a  given  point. 


SwitemniiBiiiBHiiiTijia 


yy^S'g 


■i 


'  ;! 


lii 


On  the  Fort  street  side  of  the  new  Federal  Building, 
to  the  east  of  the  main  entrance,  a  reviewing  stand  had 
been  erected,  where  the  members  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee, the  invited  guests  and  the  members  of  the  city 
government  occupied  seats. 

On  the  entire  line  of  march  the  sidewalks  were 
thronged  by  tens  of  thousands  of  spectators.  The  build- 
ings on  the  route  were  gaily  decorated  and  every  window 
was  filled  with  heads.  All  along  the  route  the  enthusi- 
asm was  as  great  as  the  crowds. 

The  parade  was  led  by  a  detachment  of  mounted 
police  followed  by  the  entire  force  under  the  command  of 
Chief  Starkweather.    Then  in  order: 

The  chief  marshal  and  his  aides. 

The  19th  Infantry  U.  S.  A.,  with  its  band.  Col.  Snyder 
leading  in  person. 

Gov.  John  T.  Rich,  in  citizen's  clothes,  riding  on  a 
black  horse,  and  attended  by  his  staflE,  mounted  and  in 
full  uniform. 

The  4th  Infantry  Michigan  National  Guard,  with  its 

band. 

A  battalion  of  the  Michigan  Naval  Reserve,  in 
naval  uniform. 

A  small  detachment  of  the  Detroit  Light  Guard 
Veteran  Corps. 

The  second  division,  under  command  of  Capt.  John 
Conline,  U.  S.  A.,  was  made  up  of 

Parke,  Davis  &  Co.'s  Band. 

Detroit  Post  No.  384,  G.  A.  R. 

Fairbanks  Post,  No.  17,  G.  A.  R. 

Farquahar  Post  No.  153,  G.  A.  R. 

Michigan  Post  No.  393,  G.  A.  R. 

46 


m 


A  body  of  the  Union  Veterans'  Union. 

A  party  of  21  little  girls,  in  patriotic  r<^lors,  carrying 
red,  white  and  blue  umbrellas. 

Ten  colored  veterans. 

The  second  division  was  completed  by  the  "living 
flag  "  — a  body  of  250  girls  and  boys  dressed  in  white,  blue 
or  red  clothes  throughout,  and  so  disposed  that  when 
looked  down  upon  from  any  height  the  phalanx  presented 
an  exact  representation  of  the  American  flag. 

The  third  division,  under  Assistant  Marshal  A.  P.  T. 
Beniteau,  embraced:  ' 

The  Detroit  Guardmen's  Band. 

The  Maybury  Cadets. 

The  Detroit  Catholic  Cadets. 

The  Detroit  Catholic  Grays. 

The  St.  Elizabeth's  Catholic  Cadets. 

The  St.  John's  Catholic  Cadets. 

The  St.  Boniface  Cadets. 

The  Detroit  Catholic  Rifles. 

The  St.  Paul's  Cadets,  (St.  Casimir's  Parish). 

The  Kosciusko  Guards. 

St.  Michael's  Commandery. 

St.  Ladislaus  Commandery. 

St.  Stanislaus  Commandery. 

All  the  cadets  were  uniformed  and  armed,  and 
attracted   attention   by    their   excellent   drill. 

The  fourth  division,  under  Col.  Fred.  E.  Farnsworth, 
wafi  made  up  as  follows: 
The  Metropolitan  Band. 
Knights  of  St.  John  and  Patriarch's  Militant. 
The  Elks,  in  white  uniforms  and  white  umbrellas. 


■0 


I'jiiiiiiiiMiiMWiiirinii 


^^1llli>«l||||ll^^feil 


u> 


The  fifth  division  was  marshaled  by  Ralph  Phelps, 
assisted  by  Col.  R.  G.  Butler.    It  included : 

The  two  Newsboys'  Bands. 

The  Letter  Carriers  in  uniform  and  admirably  drilled. 

The  Fire  and  Police  Notification  Company. 

The  Newsboys'  Association. 

It  was  six  o'clock  when  the  parade  terminated  and 
the  exercises  of  the  day  were  at  an  end. 


LETTERS  OF  REGRET. 

Letters  of  regret  were  received  from  Governors 
Busiel,  of  Njw  Hampshire;  Woodbury,  of  Vermont; 
Coffin,  of  Connecticut ;  Morton,  of  New  York  ;  Griggs,  of 
New  Jersey ;  O'Ferrall,  of  Virginia  ;  Carr,  of  North  Caro- 
lina ;  Atkinson,  of  Georgia ;  McCorkle,  of  West  Virginia; 
Bradley,  of  Kentucky;  Foster,  of  Louisiana;  Stone,  of 
Missouri;  Altgeld,  of  Illinois;  Matthews,  of  Indiana; 
Bushnell,  of  Ohio;  CuUen,  of  Texas;  Thornton,  of  New 
Mexico  ;  Rickards,  of  Montana,  and  Lord,  of  Oregon. 

Also  from  President  Cleveland,  Postmaster- General 
Wilson,  Secretary  of  State  Olney,  Secretary  of  the  Navy 
Herbert,  Attorney-General  Harmon,  and  Justices  Brewer, 
Peckham  and  Fuller  of  the  Supreme  Court,  also  the 
French  and  Russian  Ambassadors,  Senators  Sherman, 
Vilas,  Frye,  Allison  and  McMillan,  and  Representatives 
Reed,  Fischer  and  Henderson,  and  many  others. 

LETTER  FROM  GOVERNOR  O'FERRALL     . 

Governor  Charles  T.  O'Ferrall,  of  Virginia,  who  had 
expected  to  attend  the  festivities,  with  his  entire  stafiE, 

.      -  4t 


k-<*„; 


was  unavoidably  prevented.    The  following  letter  was 
received  from  him: 

COMMONWEALTH  OF  VIRGINIA, 
governor's  office. 

Richmond,  Va.,  July  8th,  iSgfe. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Dickinson : 

I  regret  exceedingly  I  cannot  attend  Detroit's  great  celebration. 
An  official  engagement  over  which  I  have  no  control  will  prevent. 
Our  statute  requires  tho  board  of  public  works,  of  which  the  gover- 
nor is  ex-officio  president,  to  assess  during  the  present  week  the 
railroads  of  the  state  for  purposes  of  taxation,  and  the  board  is  now 
engaged  in  the  performance  of  this  important  duty. 

I  beg  to  assure  the  good  people  of  your  historic  city  I  would  be 
more  than  happy  to  be  with  them,  and  that  i  appreciate  beyond 
measure  the  high  compliment  they  have  paid  this  old  commonwealth 
in  their  cordial  invitation  to  me  as  her  governor,  to  be  present  and 
address  them  upon  the  interesting  occasion. 

Virginia  reciprocates  warmly  their  kind  and  generous  considera- 
tion, and  her  people  are  more  than  gratified  to  find  in  their  hearty 
action  unmistakable  evidence  that  all  feelings  of  estrangement 
resulting  from  civil  strife  have  been  forever  buried,  and  the  two 
sections  stand  together  in  soul  and  spirit,  under  one  flag  and  one 
constitution.  Each  section  has  memories  which  she  will  ever  cherish 
with  peculiar  tenderness,  yet  they  are  in  fact  common  memories,  for 
they  spring  from  the  glories  of  the  American  soldier  whether  he  fell 
under  the  stars  and  stripes  or  the  sUrs  and  bars.  I  speak  for  the 
South  when  I  say  she  is  as  loyal  to  the  flag  of  our  reunited  country 
as  he  was  to  the  southern  cross,  and  that  her  sons  will  be  ready 
at  all  times  to  sUnd  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  their  northern 
brethren  in  the  maintenance  of  their  country's  honor  and  the 
defense  of  their  country's   rights. 

This  old  dominion  State,  immortalised  in  song  and  story, 
crowned  with  glories  and  hung  with  memories,  and  who  gave  to  the 
cause  of  republican  liberty  her  Henry,  Jefferson,  Washington  and 


49 


^ — r-'^^f^#g*s^«r/ik>«(B»j't*<g.;^i*«ii^^ 


Madiiion,  joins  with  your  great    Htate    in    commemorating 
closing    act   of    the  war  of  American  independence. " 

In  conclusion,  I  bog  to  again  assure  you  that  I  regret  more  than 
I  can  express,  my  inability  tu  be  absent  from  my  post  at  this  time. 
I  am  indeed  almost  selfinh  enough  to  wish  that  I  could  change  the 
date  of  the  evacuation  as  recorded  by  the  chronicler,  and  make  it  a 
little  later,  so  that  I  might  participate  in  celebrating  the  memorable 
event  and  meeting  with  your  sturdy  northwest  people. 

Yours  very  sincerely, 
;  CHAS.  T.  O'FICRRALL. 

f/oti.  Don  Af.  Dickinson,  Detroit,  Miih. 


\        S- 


FROM  GOVBTNOR  MATTHEWS, 
EXECUTU  E  DEPARTMENT. 

INUtANAPOLIS,   IND. 

July  6th,  1896. 

Hon.  Don  M.  Dickinson,   Chairman  Commit  tu  on   Invitations, 
Detroit,  Michigan  : 

DiAR  Sir: — It  is  with  'sincere  regret  that  I  cannot  accept  the 
kind  invitation  of  your  Cjmmittee  to  join  with  the  people  of  your 
State  and  city  in  celeb/atim?  the  memorable  event,  which  had  so 
much  to  do  in  shaping  thi  tiny  of  our  Western  and  Northwestern 
territory.  Indians  vill  rejoice  with  her  sister  Michigan  and  extends 
her  hand  in  cordiu  greeting. 

The  eleventh  of  July  1796,  the  lowering  of  the  British  flag  to 
that  of  the  young  Republic,  marked  an  important  event,  not  alone 
in  your  State  history,  but  in  that  of  all  states  formed  from  that 
magnificent  empire  passing  into  the  indisputable  control  of  Amer- 
ican freemen.  It  was  indeed  a  vast  empire  opened  up  to  a  triumph- 
ant Christian  civilization,  and  a  race  of  strong,  brave  and  resolute 
freemen.  Your  celebration  will  strike  a  responsive  chord  in  every' 
patriotic  heart  in  Indiana,  and  we  know  the  day  will  be  fiuiugly  and 
splendidly  honored  by  your  own  brave  and  enterprising  people. 

Regretting  my  inability  to  be  with  you  on  behalf  of  '  he  State  of 
Indiana,  I  am,  with  high  esteem. 

Very  truly  yours, 

CLAUDE  MATTHEWS. 


SO 


PROM  SENATOR  ALLISON. 

Dubuque,  Iowa,  July  7th,  1896. 
To  tht  HoHorabU  the  Commititt  on  Invitation  of  tht  One  Hun- 

drtdtk  Anniversary,  Detroit,  Mich. : 

Grntlemrn  : — I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  receipt  of  your 
invitation  to  be  proHent  at  the  ceremonies  commemorative  of  the 
evacuation  of  Detroit  one  hundred  years  ago.  With  thanks  for  your 
invitatioi  regret  that  my  engiigemontn  are  such  that  I  cannot  have 
the  pleasure  to  accept. 

The  event  you  commemorate,  constitutes  an  epoch  in  the  history 
of  our  country.  It  was  the  culminating  act  in  completing  our 
Independence.  Though  the  Northwest  Territory  had  been  organ- 
ized for  some  time,  its  settlement  hud  been  retarded  by  its  con- 
tinuous occupation  by  the  British,  which  appeared  to  be  indefinite 
until  the  Jay  treaty  fixed  a  time  for  the  final  departure  of  the  British 
troops.  This  treaty,  much  abused  when  made,  was  of  incalculable 
service  not  only  to  this  region  but  to  the  whole  country  as  well.  It 
■ecureU  the  rapid  g^wth  of  the  northwest  and  the  creation  of  five 
populous  states  northwest  of  the  Ohio  and  east  of  the  Mississippi, 
an(\  made  necessary  the  a'quisition  of  the  territory  west  of  that 
river,  happily  achieved  through  the  Lousiana  purchase  only  a  few 
years  later.  Those  who  negotiated  that  treaty,  and  the  one  acquir- 
ing Lousiana,  did  not  realize  that  within  a  century  of  time  "The 
Northwest  Territory,"  so  called,  and  the  contiguous  territory  lying 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  would  embrace  twelve  grea^  otates,  having 
an  intelligent  and  cultivated  population  of  twenty-turee  millions  of 
people  enjoying  the  blessings  of  free  government,  with  an  accumu- 
lated wealth  of  twenty-five  thousand  millions  of  dollars,  or  more 
than  one  thousand  dollars  for  each  inhabitant,  and  nearly  two-fifths 
of  the  population  and  wealth  of  the  whole  country.  Yet  through  the 
exertions  of  those  who  have  come  and  gone  within  the  century,  and 
of  those  who  still  remain,  these  are  the  conditions  existing  at  the 
end  of  the  fintt  century  of  the  day  you  commemorate.  May  we 
venture  the  hope  that  those  who  commemorate  the  second  century 
may  be  as  prosperous  and  contented  in  the  enjoyment  of  conditions 
equally  favorab.'e. 

Again  expreuing  my  regrets,  I  am 

Very  truly  yours, 

W.  B.  ALLISON, 

SI 


1 
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FFOM  SENATOR  McMULAN. 

Manckbbtik,  Mam.,  July  5.  1896. 

My  Dear  Sib:— I  regr«t  that  absence  from  the  city  will  prevent 
me  from  joining  my  fellow  citizen*  in  the  celebration  of  the  one 
hundredth  anniveraary  of  the  lurrender  of  the  poat  of  Detroit  to  the 
United  Statea,  on  July  nth. 

With  a  foresight  amounting  almost  to  inspiration,  our  treaty 
commissioners  insisted  on  drawing  the  boundary  line  so  as  to  include 
Michigan  within  the  territory  of  the  United  States,  and  when,  for 
the  purpose  of  retaining  control  over  the  fur  trade,  England  refused 
to  give  up  the  Northwestern  posU,  the  Jay  treaty  finally  gave  us 
possoHsion  of  the  territory  George  Rogers  Clark  had  so  bravely  won 
by  the  sword ;  and  nine  years  later  civil  government  according  to 
American  Ideals  was  set  up  within  our  borders. 

It  is  fitting  that  these  anniversaries  should  be  observed,  in  orde*- 
that  the  eventful  history  of  nearly  two  centuries  may  teach  us  to 
prise  the  inheritance  perfected  for  ua  by  three  great  nations. 

I  am,  Very  truly  yours , 

JAMBS  McMillan. 

Hon.   Don  M.  DiekinsoH,  Chairman  Commit ttt  on  Invitations, 
Dttroit,  Mich. 


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